Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash
Disclaimer:
This post reflects a personal moment in time while navigating a large blended family and everyday parenting chaos. Some names and identifying details have been changed for privacy.
The Baby Starts Kindergarten
8, the baby of the family, started kindergarten this year.
I was excited, but I was also very tired.
I’ve been through this stage so many times. I know I wanted to be present and soak it in, but the truth is that I am exhausted.
I’m 41 with a kindergartner. When I was pregnant with him, I was considered “advanced maternal age.” (At least they got rid of the term geriatric pregnancy at my clinic.)
I guess it’s still better than Mr. Chaos. He is, um… 48.
Between the two of us, we’ve been parenting for a long time. I’ve been a mom for 23 years straight. These days we are trying to move beyond survival mode and actually enjoy life a little more.
Meet the Teacher… Times Two Schools
On meet-the-teacher night at 7 and 8’s school, there was a kindergarten Q & A that I skipped.
This was because we also had to meet with at least two teachers each for 5 and 6 since they are in middle school. We had to go room to room for all of their classes so they wouldn’t be tardy on the first day of school.
We needed to:
- Find their lockers
- Make sure the locker combination worked
- Walk their schedules
- Figure out the bus situation
At the same time, we also had to meet 7 and 8’s teachers in an entirely different school building.
Four kids.
Two schools.
The same two-hour time window.
Unfortunately, the kindergarten Q & A had to be sacrificed.
Parenting is tough. Juggling it all is difficult. Doing it while being a little older and more tired feels like next level some days.
Most days our life is scheduled out almost to the minute so we can show up for all our kids. Don’t get me wrong — we love our baby and we will struggle through it.
He is worth it.
Our children are worth it.
Pick and choose what matters to you, then give it your all.
The Baby Goes to Kindergarten
The first day of school, as usual, we were late dropping off 7 and 8.
I watched 8 excitedly walk into “7’s school.” He told me he felt like a big kid going to her school.
As they walked away from us, surrounded by all the other students, he looked around and reached over to grab her hand.
She moved it just at the right time.
I laughed.
Her body language clearly said, “Nope. You are cramping my style.”
He kept walking right beside his big sister anyway.
For the first time, he was entering that familiar school building as a student himself.
End of the First Day
It was extremely hot that day.
I was driving like a madwoman trying to get to the school before pickup. I was irritated with Mr. Chaos for not keeping an eye on the clock so I could make sure I left work on time.
Sometimes I feel stretched thin being the alarm clock for everyone else in the family except for myself.
Sometimes moms need help.
Moms ask for help.
I managed to park just off the street where we pick the kids up. I saw 7 and 8 coming around the corner.
8 wasn’t smiling.
It was simply too hot to be happy.
My favorite part of the first day of school is usually seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces.
He wasn’t talking, just walking toward the van so we could get home as quickly as possible. He wanted air conditioning.
I did manage to snap a quick picture of him and 7.
They were standing in the same spot, with the same hat that 7 had received on her first day of kindergarten years ago. I love taking similar pictures with each of my kids.
Those little traditions mean a lot to me.
Meet the Teacher… Again?
The first Thursday of the first week of school we received a letter inviting us to meet the kindergarten teacher again.
Apparently the school was trying something new.
But this mama did not have the time.
I had already missed work on Monday and needed to make up those hours. I had to skip the second meet-and-greet.
However, I didn’t miss sending him off on his first day, and I didn’t miss greeting him when he got home.
Sometimes parenting is about cherishing the small victories.
It’s Official
All of the Chaos Crew are in school or beyond.
No more babies.
No more toddlers.
No more preschoolers.
Only elementary schoolers or older.
That chapter has officially closed.
But honestly, I’m not much of a crier when chapters close.
What I’ve Learned Parenting Babies 23 Years Apart
Having kids over a 23-year span gives you a strange perspective on parenting.
When my oldest was little, everything felt urgent. Every stage felt like it might last forever. The sleepless nights, the toddler meltdowns, the preschool chaos — it all felt overwhelming at the time.
Now I know something I didn’t know back then.
Every stage passes.
The baby years feel long when you’re living them, but they are actually one of the shortest chapters of parenting.
The years that follow are full of just as many important moments:
- First days of kindergarten
- Kids finding their independence
- Middle school chaos
- Teenagers learning who they are
- Young adults starting their own lives
That’s why I’m not sad that the baby stage is over.
I’ve already seen what comes next — and it’s just as meaningful.
Parenting doesn’t get less important as kids get older.
It just changes.
No Tears from this Momma, Just Smiles and Excitement
Even though 8 is the “last,” I don’t see it as a sad thing.
No, I won’t ever give birth again, breastfeed, or experience those baby firsts with my children.
But since I already have adult kids, I know there is so much more to life than the baby stage.
Children.
Preteens.
Teenagers.
Young adults.
They are just as precious as the baby years in my eyes.
Maybe that is why I don’t cry when these chapters close.
I know there are still so many important moments ahead.
I will always be mommy — no matter how old my babies get.
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