This blog is for ongoing dialogue between those of us who have survived divorced and have started the journey of finding out who they are and what they want out of their new lives. It's for support, ideas, and motivation to live a full life.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Good Parenting Days

This morning, I dropped my kids off at school, then ran a couple of errands before I was supposed to work. I got a voicemail about 40 minutes after I dropped them off; it my son calling from his classroom. (How funny that kids can do that now - we didn't even have phones in our classes when I was in elementary school.) He was doing a presentation on his animal, the king cobra, in the computer lab this morning, and said "It would really mean a lot to me if you could come" in a quivering voice that I knew meant he was close to tears.

Of course, my mind started racing, thinking ok, how did I not know about this? Why didn't the teacher remind me, I didn't remember seeing a note from school last night, etc. Luckily I was close enough that I could make a detour to the school. I found his class in the computer lab and he hadn't had a turn yet at the smart board (also something so totally cool that kids have now that we didn't) to make his presentation. I was standing off to the side and was puzzled as to why there were no other parents in there.

He made his presentation and then came over to give me some hugs. He then whispered in my ear "I really really love you mom". I of course melted, and was so grateful I was able to be there for him, for whatever reason he thought he needed me there. (I found out that he was the only one who wanted to call his parent - for some reason it was important to him at that moment)

My schedule is pretty crazy and rarely do I have a flexible morning like today's. I know I made a difference to him this morning by just being there. There are a ton of days that I know I'm not there either physically or mentally, so knowing I got it right today is a big deal to me. I was able to make him feel secure and loved and to show him how important he was to me.

It seems like divorced parents often struggle with the guilt associated with what they've done to their family unit. The funny thing about kids is that it really doesn't take much effort on our part to show them how much we care. It isn't about fancy gifts or clothes, it's about making them feel safe and cared for all the time. I'm sure there are many days to come where I won't get it right, but today I did and that's enough for now.

To your new life...
Claire


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