“She saw the terror in my eyes. The office lady leaned in to whisper, ‘The guidance counselor will be in shortly.’ He just stood there. Looking up at me with his big, empty, chocolate eyes. In that moment, I could peek into his soul. I knew I was in that classroom, at that moment, for him.”
‘My principal emailed me. She added another student to my roster. ‘But come talk to me when you get a chance. I have to tell you her story.’ Rewind 7 years.’
‘His teacher suddenly jumped on the desk. He started walking across each one, to make sure every single eye was on him.’
“I’ll never forget when he had them throw their history books on the ground and tell them how they got it all wrong that day, and made choices that would come back to haunt them.”
‘We had a school lockdown. We weren’t sure if it was a drill. Something seemed off. It was rushed and abrupt. I had pangs of worry, but didn’t show it.’
“One tall football player who looked like a grown man, beard and all, pressed me with questions I didn’t want to answer. The classroom was full, and all eyes were on me. A group text with my colleagues had begun. Rumors of a gun in the school. My insides knotted up.”
‘In truth, I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be (just) me anymore. I have found such comfort and safety in being a mother.’
“I was married young. I was pregnant soon after. I followed my husband’s career and livelihood. And all I keep hearing is: ‘Well, what are you going to make of this, Wendy?'”
‘In the spirit of being vulnerable, honest, and 40, I present Lies Moms Tell Themselves at Back-to-School Time.’
“2: ‘I am going to pack lunches at night.’ Friends, I barely have enough energy to pry open a box of wine and lift the remote to turn on Bachelor in Paradise. I mean, I find the energy, but not all heroes wear capes.”
‘When he first joined our family after losing both of his parents, these two were BEST friends. Lately though? They fight like cats and dogs. They are SO mean to each other.’
“They got along so well it felt like a fairy tale. But things quickly took a huge spiral downwards. My husband and I laid in bed going, ‘What in the world is happening right now? Why are they fighting so much?'”
‘Don’t want to sell anything, bake anything, buy anything or avoid fundraising of ANY kind? We feel the same way!’ Mom shares school’s hilarious ‘OPT OUT’ PTO paper we all need
“WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR! My very first thought was, ‘Someone finally gets it. Sign me up!'”
‘In one swift moment, I will be forced to let go. I will loosen the white-knuckle grip on my son’s childhood, and let him go.’
“Today, after an emotional tantrum, my 5-year-old son curled up in my lap and buried his head in the crook of my neck. I felt his pain and sadness laying over me in a blanket of emotions, and I found myself crying too.”
‘Some kids at school want to cry sometimes.’ I felt a tug deep in my chest. I started to see where this was going.
“‘Shall we put these up on the fridge when we get home?,” I asked. You paused, reluctant to answer me. ‘No, I don’t want to.’ You said quietly, your usually steady voice shaking a little.”
‘On Monday my son should have started kindergarten, but he never will. As back to school happens, consider those around you.’
“He will never bring home homework. He will never miss the bus. He will never forget his lunch money. We will never meet his teacher. We miss them all. Our son never finished PreK.”
