Did I miss a ‘buzz-worthy’ moment?
Sep 2, 2008 Parenting
D said to me this morning as he peered through the slits of our dining room blinds… “Are we horrible parents for not walking our kid to the bus stop on the first day of school?”
This question stemmed from watching all of the other parents following protectively behind their kids past our window… the underlying buzz of the first day of school prevalent. My immediate response was the defensive one… “Of course not! He doesn’t need us to stand there next to him at the bus stop!”
However when driving to work, utilizing the little bit of uninterrupted time I am allowed each day to think, I began to question my initial thoughts on the matter. I mean, It is his third year in school. Kindergarten got tears on the first day. First grade… I was excited that he was excited. This year seems more habitual rather than buzz-worthy. These thoughts resonated, leaving me to wonder whether or not we are horrible parents… or if most other parents feel the same way I do.
I don’t cry at every defining moment in my son’s life. School is school. I guess if he were moving from elementary school to middle school… or from middle to high school… I would want to relish that next step with him… but from 1st to 2nd? I think there are moments where he needs to have those to experience without mom and dad all up in his business. I enjoy allowing him a bit of independence from us. I love to see him react without him worrying whether or not mom is in earshot… (whether I am or not remains unknown to him.. 
) and with that independence, builds trust and allows him to differentiate between right and wrong without my prompting.
I just hope that he doesn’t silently want me there. I hope that he doesn’t feel like I am not excited simply because his mom and dad didn’t stand next to him at the bus stop like every other kid. I hope that he is confident in the fact that really, we are slowly and thoughtfully letting the reins loose for him to gradually grow into the responsible little man that I know he is going to be.
Parents, have you been here? Felt this way? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Tags: decisions, independence, kids, Parenting, responsibility, school
