Wednesday September 1 2010 832 pm
Today marked a new stage of parenting at Uncharted Parent.
My preschool days are over. No more teaching colors, shapes and ABC’s. No more potty-training (thank goodness, because I sucked at teaching that particular skill). No more nesting blocks, board books, sippy cups or daily naps. No more boo-boos that can be cured with a kiss. No more nonsensical temper-tantrums or grunts and whines where words will do the job better.
Wait. Strike that last sentence.
As of today, I’m the proud mom of two school-age children: one in third grade and one in kindergarten. It’s a major milestone, a passage into a new phase of our life as a family. We’ve moved from having “little kids” to just “kids.” (And no, there will be no more children. We are happy with two. Stop asking. Not gonna happen, no way, don’t even think it yes I will laugh at you if you ask again absolutely positively no freaking way. Have I made myself clear on this point?)
I know that according to conventional wisdom, I’m supposed to be misty-eyed and wistful at this transformation, but the truth is: I’m not. I’m delighted, and it’s not only for the selfish reason that having two kids in school nets me more writing time. (My daughter is attending full-day kindergarten. I’m no fool.) I’m also thrilled to find myself at that point where my kids are really beginning to resemble the people I think they’re capable of becoming as adults. As it turns out, they’re people I like spending time with and want to get to know better. My son is smart, clear-headed and possesses a wry, ironic sense of humor, and if I don’t necessarily share some of his strong interests, his enthusiasm for those interests is infectious enough that I find myself more curious about dinosaurs and soccer than I ever imagined I’d be. My daughter is intelligent, empathetic and sweet when she chooses to be. She understands people to a degree I never will, even on my most insightful days, and her silly moods can cheer even the grumpiest soul.
I see so much in my kids now that was scarcely visible in the preschoolers who preceded them. Maybe it’s just me—it’s no secret that I’m not a baby person—but I prefer this stage of development. I’m not a preschooler Scrooge; there was plenty to love through those early stages, too. (Just read through my archived blog posts.) But today I hugged my non-little kids when they got home from school and thought about how lucky I am that these two cool people are my children.
Besides, if I get nostalgic for the good old days, there’s still plenty of preschool behavior left over. There’s the whining, and the temper-tantrums, and the unintended naps in the car, and the picky eating…
Oh, and as it turns out, Mommy’s kisses still work on boo-boos sometimes, too.



















