Later Mom!

I had every intention of getting up and out early this morning. Being as it is the last week of my classes, I have several projects and papers due this weekend. I also had scheduled time with my knitting buddies, so I wanted to get Abby to child care early so I could get some homework done, before I gathered my needles and yarn for some much needed fun. The problem was that she woke up in a super bad mood this morning and was not up for a lot of cooperation. Along with that, every time I even mentioned school or getting ready she would loudly start complaining and make it known that if she had her way, she'd spend the day at home.

Now, I'm getting better, but I tend to feel guilty when I have days that are "just for me". I know that I need them, I know that Abby needs the time away from me, and I know that she has a great time at child care, but we both seem to forget that last bit, so I end up feeling bad and she ends up getting mad. So, instead of getting out early I let her ease into the idea and we had a slow morning, enjoying a nice breakfast at home, and some extra time to lounge in our jammies. Finally, I was able to get her excited about going in and seeing some of her friends, but in the car she started once again, telling me, "don't wanna go to school," and "don't wanna see friends."

Sigh.


All of that changed though when we pulled in and she saw everyone out on the playground. She couldn't get that seatbelt off fast enough. She did take the time though to say good-bye to her doll, Penelope, and then she was off. Yes, my "reluctant" kid was running off to play and not looking back. I yelled a good-bye and an "I love you!" after her and I guess I should be thankful that she at least acknowledged me. I heard her yell back that she loved me as she absently waved to me behind her, but she kept her face forward and ran on. I watched her until she ran up to the care givers and gave a big hug to one of her favorites. She was happy to be there and I immediately felt wonderful.

I got a bit of work done, and had a wonderful time with my friends, so as the afternoon wound down I headed out to get Abby. Now, usually she will see me coming and run to me - happy to have been there, but ready to see Mama and come home. Today though, things were different. I found her outside with the "big" kids. They were all sitting together in the shade, taking a break from the heat. Abby was in the middle of the group, sitting quietly between two older girls. When Abby noticed I was there she stayed where she was and simply turned toward me to say, "Hi, Mom." - and that was it. No hug. No happy greeting. No slow-motion movie run. Nothing but a "Hi, Mom." What?!? It seems that sometime between 10:30 and 3:30 my kid had morphed into a preteen.

She took it further by telling me that she wanted to stay. I chose the standard, "Okay, Abby. I'm leaving.....bye!" which will usually get her moving, but as I turned back around, I realized that she hadn't budged. At this point everyone else was trying to convince her that going with Mom would be fun. Finally she turned to me, said, "Bye, Mom," and turned back to her friends. If I wasn't so busy planning how I would get her home without a battle I might have been severely wounded.

Eventually it was the offer of a piggy-back ride from one of the older girls that got her to the car. I buckled her in, thanked the girls and we were off. The whole ride home she talked about how great her day was. Her lack of excitement upon seeing me is a small price to pay for that. I have no doubt that when the time comes Thursday morning for us to head out to school that she'll put up a bit of a fuss again, but I know that is all just bluster, that she will certainly have a great day.

Tonight she asked to watch, "a funny movie...the hurt one."
I finally realized she was talking about America's Funniest
Home Videos.

That's a whole lot of popcorn!