jacob-hair

It is no secret that, for me, taking Jacob to school/daycare is extremely tough. In recent months, I can probably count on one hand the number of times that it has gone smoothly — and I would have some fingers left over. Usually the fiasco involves lots of tears, some screaming, some refusing to let go of me, etc. It’s tough on me because I just want him to be happy. It made me question our current setup and if we were doing what was best for our son.

In my heart, I know that the interaction that he has with other kids will greatly benefit him in the future rather than just staying home with mom, dad or other family members. And I know that the tears end within minutes and he has a lot of fun with is friends and teachers. However, seeing those tears when you are about to leave him was gut-wrenching.

Today was different. I remembered an article that Valerie had sent me stating that the worst thing that you can do is try to sneak out. It only makes it worse and makes them want to keep an eye on you more to make sure you don’t do just that. So today, I did what the article said to do.

After putting away his stuff and playing a little with him and his friends (which I normally do), I turned him around to face me and looked him in the eyes. He knew what was going to happen and started to wine a little. I gave him a kiss and lovingly said, “Jacob, I am going to go now, but I will be back for you soon. I love you so much and you are going to have lots of fun today with your friends and your teachers, ok? Now go with your teacher and have fun.” I gave him another kiss on the head and his teacher said “Come on Jacob.” He looked at me, smiled and said “Bye bye da-da.” Then he grabbed his teacher’s hand and walked over with her to the rest of the group.

My heart was filled with joy and it made my day.