Proving Me Wrong Yet Again

Just when I think I have my kids pretty much figured out, they go and make a fool out of my smug self.

From the time Eli was itty bitty, he's been labeled as a momma's boy.  And I kind of like it, except when it's inconvenient.  Like when I want to duck out for a quick jog and he's holding on to my leg for dear life.  Or when he's chasing me down the hallway at school.  The desperation in his clinginess rises and then subsides a bit, but it is always there.  

This particular stretch of time since the beginning of school has been especially difficult.  I've been working with his teacher to come up with a consistent method of dropping him off that would (hopefully) improve the process.  Walking him in was not an option anymore, as it gets him all worked up into a frenzy when I try to leave.  We tried having Elena walk him in, but you would have thought I was having her lead him off to the guillotine.  And so we moved on to Plan C, which of course worked.  And, of course, it was kind of a pain in the arse.

You see, Elena starts school at 7:50.  Eli doesn't officially start until 8:30.  I can walk him into his classroom as early as 8 and there will be a teacher there.  His teacher thought it might be best if he came at the same time as the other preschoolers, whose mothers begin dropping them off at the door at 8:20.  A parent volunteer or a teacher is there to get the kids out of the car and help them to their rooms.  

And so that's what we tried.  The first few days still involved tears, but no where near the intensity of the the walking-him-in-myself days.    And then he stopped crying at all.  Some days he would even go so far as to stop at the door the school, turn around, and give me a wave and a big smile.  So, it's kind of a pain, to find ways to fill up the 30 minutes between his drop-off and Elena's, but it's better than the drama.  We'd get gas, drop books off at the library, and once a week or so pay a quick visit to my favorite donut shop.  Sometimes we'd just drive around.  

Today, as I was looping around the school after dropping Elena off, Eli yelled out, "WAIT!  I want to get out now."

Wha?

I pulled back around and parked the car under the canopy.  I opened his door gingerly, waiting for him to change his mind.  He popped right out, gave me a kiss, and walked in that door with nary a tear.

Just like that, he proved me wrong.  And I kind of liked it.

Today I Gave:  A donation to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, to provide for Thanksgiving meals.  We receive their request in the mail every year, and I always ignore it.  This year calls for a different response, I think.

Today I Received:  Some really kind words about my blog, and about my writing in general.  I'm still blushing.  Thank you for your kind mention, Scott.  It really made my day.

This post is part of my 29 Days of Giving Campaign.  You can see the rest of the posts in this series here.