Hello again, it's been a while! I didn't intentionally let my blog sit quiet for all of last year, it was just one of those things that kind of happened. The transition back to work after becoming a mom was much tougher than I imagined it being. The work load wasn't too hard, and of course I loved teaching my sweet babies; but leaving my son every day was so, so hard. I'm sure every parent feels a struggle to some degree when it comes to that whole work - life balance, and I just really needed a year to focus on being the best mom I could possible be AND being the best teacher I could possible be; for me that meant putting the blog on hold for a while.
When you become a mother, it's just a complete wave of emotions and life changes that happen at breakneck speed, and you just have to hold on for dear life until you get used to the ride. I remember holding Squish for the first time and feeling like my heart would explode because I didn't know I could love one person so very much. He looked at me, and it was like we had always been knitted together at the heart. The bond with my boy was so very strong in an instant, that leaving him at 14 weeks to go back to work was devastating. While I was on my maternity leave, I left him one time to go to my six week postpartum checkup; I wasn't prepared in any way to be away from him for 8 or more hours at a time. The night before I went to work, I sobbed to my husband that he was going to forget me, and what if he was scared and I wasn't there, what if he wanted more milk than I had pumped and stored, what if he sneezed and I wasn't there to say, "bless you." It literally took every ounce of self discipline I had in my body to kiss my sweet sleeping baby goodbye and walk out the door the first day of school. I can't say it ever got easier to leave him as the year went on, but I became more used to the routine. I still had my days when I would call my husband sobbing on the way to work because I just didn't think I could do it, but I did, and I'm proud of myself. Being a mom has been the absolute greatest thing that has ever happened to me, I feel like my whole life started when Squish took his first breath, and now I can't even remember what life was like without him here.
He has made me a better person, a better teacher and given my life a purpose. He is always on my mind and in my heart, and I am so thankful that he is mine. Having a child has impacted my teaching in so many ways. I have always been compassionate and loving towards my students, I have tried my hardest to be patient and understanding with my students; but having my son has made me so much more empathetic. I feel like my heart has grown ten times larger, and I am always thinking, "What if this was Squish" when I am working with a student. I'm excited for this school year to start, and I'm even more excited to share my adventures with all of you because I feel ready for that this year. It's still hard to think about leaving my son when the school year starts, and I know now that it always will be; but I also know that me being at work isn't harming my son. He is loved, he is smart, he is thriving and that is all I could ever ask for.
I know this seems like a long drawn out love letter to my son, but I hope that at least one mama out there can relate, and maybe even a new mommy getting ready to go back to work for the first time can read this and feel a little less lonely. For a return to regularly scheduled programming, be sure to check back in this afternoon for some fun units I've been working on this summer!
Questions:
1. If you are a parent, how does the work life balance work for you / what is the hardest part about being a working parent?
2. How do you prepare for the upcoming school year?
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