Last night I spent the first night without my baby within 30 feet of me since February 2003, when she was born.
Originally I was going to have her wee classmates round here for a day of play with their mums to break them in, but the usual Autumn frenzy of activity has begun, and schedules didn't match up, so when Y-chan's Mum suggested that we go straight to the kids doing a sleepover by themselves at her house, a whole new battle between the two voices in my head began. You know the ones: " Don't overreact, this is no doubt a perfectly normal age for a child to go and sleep over at a relative stranger's house by herself. Don't mollycoddle! She'll be fine! What could possibly happen? People will think you just want her tied to the apron strings! And think of not having to get up at 6am to make the lunch and take her to school"
And then " But she's never even been there to play!! It' s hit or miss whether she'll even go sleep for her Dad! What if she gets scared?? It's an hour away if I have to go and get her in the middle of the night!!!" And slightly more disturbing thoughts which make me wonder if I'm becoming my mother, " What if she's a nightmare for Y-chan's Mum? What if she wets the bed? What if she's cheeky? What if they all fight?"
In the end the person I want to be won out over the person I probably am, and the date was set for the 3 girls of the class to go home with Y's Mum after school last night.
The drama was heightened last week, with news of all 3 girls getting involved in near fisty cuffs, witnessed by other kids only too ready to report back, over who had lunch with their teacher last week. The teacher, sensibly, didn't want to name names, but the "what if my child is the class bully? What if they all hate her??" paranoia increased... I must say in my blinded by love experience, that nothing I've seen particularly points to this, but teaching small kids has told me that kids are not always the same person when their parents aren't around.....aaarrghhh! Valium please!
Anyway, it was with trepidation that I packed M onto the bus with her overnight bag yesterday morning.
After work, I was impressed that I had the chance to stay late to take in a concert held at my school by a rather famous children's choir form South Africa. Oh, this is the life of people who can get babysitters, I thought! It all seemed rather fun.
After the concert, at approx 5:20pm, pangs of worry (guilt??no!) set in and after opening the phone twice and shutting it, I finally succumbed and sent an e-mail to Y's Mum checking they had all arrived at hers without incident.
The answer "Of course! Don't worry!" with a picture of them all happily traveling to the park, left me feeling foolish...
So, I trawled off for an unusual dinner out alone with my hubby, and we got through two DVDs of the latest season of 24, only interrupted by occasional photo updates of the kids having a great time at Y's, which made me feel both like a prize idiot, and a little relieved!
Playing before dinner...
Spaghetti!
Fireworks before bed!!
Then at about 10 o'clock, the phone rang!!!!!
Sniveling M " I miss you, I want to go home..."
The hour's drive in my head, I talked her down for about 10 mins, until finally she decided she would try another story and cuddle from Y's Mummy. Relieved, but secretly pleased that she didn't not miss me at all after all.....!
An while later, an e-mail saying the two remaining kids were sleeping soundly side by side! Success!
I went to bed expecting the phone call at any second, but we all managed to sleep through, and the next e-mail said M and Y had been up playing happily since 5am!
Hopefully that means I'll get an early night tonight too!
Originally I was going to have her wee classmates round here for a day of play with their mums to break them in, but the usual Autumn frenzy of activity has begun, and schedules didn't match up, so when Y-chan's Mum suggested that we go straight to the kids doing a sleepover by themselves at her house, a whole new battle between the two voices in my head began. You know the ones: " Don't overreact, this is no doubt a perfectly normal age for a child to go and sleep over at a relative stranger's house by herself. Don't mollycoddle! She'll be fine! What could possibly happen? People will think you just want her tied to the apron strings! And think of not having to get up at 6am to make the lunch and take her to school"
And then " But she's never even been there to play!! It' s hit or miss whether she'll even go sleep for her Dad! What if she gets scared?? It's an hour away if I have to go and get her in the middle of the night!!!" And slightly more disturbing thoughts which make me wonder if I'm becoming my mother, " What if she's a nightmare for Y-chan's Mum? What if she wets the bed? What if she's cheeky? What if they all fight?"
In the end the person I want to be won out over the person I probably am, and the date was set for the 3 girls of the class to go home with Y's Mum after school last night.
The drama was heightened last week, with news of all 3 girls getting involved in near fisty cuffs, witnessed by other kids only too ready to report back, over who had lunch with their teacher last week. The teacher, sensibly, didn't want to name names, but the "what if my child is the class bully? What if they all hate her??" paranoia increased... I must say in my blinded by love experience, that nothing I've seen particularly points to this, but teaching small kids has told me that kids are not always the same person when their parents aren't around.....aaarrghhh! Valium please!
Anyway, it was with trepidation that I packed M onto the bus with her overnight bag yesterday morning.
After work, I was impressed that I had the chance to stay late to take in a concert held at my school by a rather famous children's choir form South Africa. Oh, this is the life of people who can get babysitters, I thought! It all seemed rather fun.
After the concert, at approx 5:20pm, pangs of worry (guilt??no!) set in and after opening the phone twice and shutting it, I finally succumbed and sent an e-mail to Y's Mum checking they had all arrived at hers without incident.
The answer "Of course! Don't worry!" with a picture of them all happily traveling to the park, left me feeling foolish...
So, I trawled off for an unusual dinner out alone with my hubby, and we got through two DVDs of the latest season of 24, only interrupted by occasional photo updates of the kids having a great time at Y's, which made me feel both like a prize idiot, and a little relieved!
Playing before dinner...
Spaghetti!
Fireworks before bed!!
Then at about 10 o'clock, the phone rang!!!!!
Sniveling M " I miss you, I want to go home..."
The hour's drive in my head, I talked her down for about 10 mins, until finally she decided she would try another story and cuddle from Y's Mummy. Relieved, but secretly pleased that she didn't not miss me at all after all.....!
An while later, an e-mail saying the two remaining kids were sleeping soundly side by side! Success!
I went to bed expecting the phone call at any second, but we all managed to sleep through, and the next e-mail said M and Y had been up playing happily since 5am!
Hopefully that means I'll get an early night tonight too!
Aaah, another rite of passage ticked off!
So, who'd like to have M to stay over next?????
So, who'd like to have M to stay over next?????
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