Parents, we all need a gentle reminder every now and then of how time is fleeting. Today I’m Saying Goodbye to My Last Days as a Preschool Mom. This post is sponsored by Ivory. All mama bear opinions are my own.
Saying Goodbye to My Last Days as a Preschool Mom
My baby isn’t a baby anymore. Somewhere between the ABC flashcards, sight words, and test score anxiety, I blinked and my daughter grew up. She grew up too much, from behind to ahead of her class. She’s reading, writing, solving math problems, refusing to let me help her with her socks, and independently moving ahead to the next phase of her life with her confidence high and her head held higher. It was always in the back of my mind, but I never thought I’d have to truly accept my last days as a preschool mom.
Kindergarten is knocking on the door, and I’m NOT answering.
Can we talk honestly? This year was a hard year for me as a mom, mentally. At times, it felt like a part of me is dying. I’ve been in denial that a really important phase in my life, a phase where my kids absolutely NEED their mom and I had a definitive sense of purpose in life, is coming to a close. My last days as a preschool mom are here, and I’m having the hardest time letting go of my last baby. And now I am watching my sweet girl play in the bathtub and realizing that I’m running out of time.
I’m here grasping onto moments like these – moments where time stands still. It’s a place where my baby is still my baby, where distractions are far, far away, and where “tubby time” is the best time to be her best mom.
More days than I’d like to admit, I would hurry through bath time. I would beg for her to take a quick shower. I would quickly go through the motions, focusing on the finish line of bed time, Netflix and a break from the daily struggles of parenthood. More days than I’d like to admit, the overwhelming guilt of NOT being the best preschool mom would be would be overcompensated with bubbles, bath toys and prune-y fingers.
The balance of motherhood and guilt will always be my struggle. But you know what I’ve discovered? My preschooler isn’t impressed with fancy bubbles or the latest bath toys. She just wants time. So now, I sit next to her as she hums a song, swims like a mermaid and connects with her mom over hilarious adventures of the day. We put away the bath confetti (to be honest her sensitive skin can’t handle that stuff anyway), and trade it for Ivory soap boats and simplicity.
It’s amazing how in the midst of all of these changes in our lives, Ivory soap stays the same – with the same 99.44% pure and gentle cleaning formula that my mom used with me and generations before me. It’s as if in that simple bar of soap, time really does stand still and those simple moments of love mean everything.
It’s comforting in these last days as a preschool mom, as I focus on making each of these last moments count. Now as I clean my baby girl with her favorite Ivory Clean Body Wash, I find my soapy fingers trying to remember every dimple in her soft baby skin. I find myself washing away the boo-boos of the day (every knee and every elbow these days). I find myself breathing in that familiar scent as we snuggle before getting dressed. I value our simple bath time routine now more than ever. It’s how I’m saying goodbye me, the preschool mom.
How are you letting go of the preschool mom days? Can you?
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ellen beck says
It can feel ough. I have onlt one child and it has been some time since preschool. Time moves so quickly, I dont think anyone is ever ready, just know you guided them the best you could.
Debbie Welchert says
I can remember crying when my daughter got on the school bus for the first time. Now I’m about ready to cry again, my oldest grandson will be graduating next year. They just grow up too fast.
June S. says
(SAYING GOODBYE TO MY LAST DAYS AS A PRESCHOOL MOM) Yes it can be a little sad, but I know you will also enjoy the free time that you are about to have for yourself. We all need that. My five year old grandson will start kindergarten this fall too. Grandma is so proud of him because I know that he is ready for it now.