Lean on Me!

This morning was another rough one.  I didn’t even make it home to cry this time, but I did make it to the safety of my van in the parking lot.  Almost.  Two of my friends saw me and said hello.  I tried to make small talk but burst into tears instead.  I hate that.  I’m supposed to be strong and help others.  Not cry when someone asks what I have planned for the day.  I was mad at myself for letting that happen.

But they get it.  They have their own shit to deal with.  They didn’t pat me on the head and say it’s fine.  They shared their stories with me about why their days were shitty too.  Not in that competitive one-upper bitchy way.  But in the “you’re not alone” way.  One of my friends hugged me and literally wiped away my tears.  They made me laugh and cheered me up.  They made everything just that little bit better so that I could move forward with my day, and know that I’ll be okay.

It really does take a village, and I am so lucky to be a part of a great one.

Luckily the day ended much better than how it began.  We had parent-teacher interviews for all 3 kids tonight, which I was dreading.  But all of them went very well, and it was reassuring to hear how well the kids are doing, and that they are all being good friends and hard workers.  Molly’s teacher told us that she had the highest reading mark and best writing sample in the whole grade!!  She said that she has something special in her writing, and with being able to use the prescribed laptop, it gives her the opportunity to let her writing shine, instead of battling with printing.  As a mother that was wonderful to hear, but as a writer…I was without words.

Grace’s goal is to work on being more of a leader – I love that she set that as a goal.  I don’t remember that ever even being on my radar at 8 years old.  Her interview was a student-led conference, and I have to say that I would love for Grace to lead all my meetings – it would definitely make them all cuter and sweeter.

Maggie is thriving in her more applied teaching plan.  It’s nice to see her enjoying school and doing so well with the routines.  It is also wonderful to see how much all 3 kids’ teachers genuinely seem to like them and care about their well-being.  Proud of my girls, and happy we are in such a supportive school.

We ended the day with Wendy’s for dinner and birthday cake with Smarties ice cream, complete with relaxed bedtimes.  It’s a happy home tonight.  And an even happier home tomorrow morning when most of us get to sleep in for the PA Day!

And just for fun, here is the throwback Thursday picture that I posted to Instagram today.  It’s from when I was 3 years old and my grandparents took me to Marineland.  Apparently I wouldn’t get any food because I didn’t want to put them out, and they had to insist that I eat.  Even as a toddler I didn’t want to bother people!