On Letting Go And Holding On And School Snacks

I really have very little clue about what goes on at school. This is such a culture shock when we parents are used to knowing everything about our children’s lives during their first half-decade. Before a child is old enough to go to school, he is either at home with a parent or he is at a daycare where the parent is given daily updates. Recently I saw some Facebook Memories from a couple of years ago. They included notes on how my nervous child Gavin was doing in his new daycare after The Big Daycare Disaster of 2014. The sweet teachers at their new daycare messaged me daily to reassure me that my kids were actually thriving in the new environment.

School is nothing like that.

Cameron’s first-grade teacher introduced herself to me on the first day of school. I expected to meet her for the first time at the Parent-Teacher Meet-and-Greet set to take place a couple weeks after school started, so even a quick hello was awesome. I certainly did not expect her to give me a detailed monologue on how Cameron’s first day went, though. But, heaven forbid I try to get any information out of my first-grader! In an effort to gain even some understanding, Dan and I pre-asked our questions the night before the first day and we told Cameron that we expected the answers after school: “Do you like your teacher?”; “Who do you sit with?”; “Who is new in your class this year?”.

He answered those at least.

But most of what we ask gets answered with an “I don’t know” or an “I forget.” This is true even when we ask specific questions, as all the parenting experts suggest. The other day, I was trying to understand what he eats during recess. “The day matters,” he said, meaning that it depends on the day. Fair enough, but the question did come only two days into the school year. That is only two days of snacks to remember. Come on, kid! Work with me a little!

“Okay,” I prompted, “What is your favourite food to see in your lunch bag?”

“Um. Gummies, I guess.” (This should be considered a rave review for Mott’s Fruitsations +Veggie from a little boy who didn’t want to answer my questions at all.)

Sometimes a mom just has to let go and let them go (to a certain extent). We need to accept that this is part of the parenting job. As they grow up, we let go of the reigns little by little. It is part of the deal, but not an easy part. It is so understandable for parents to wish that time would slow down and that kids would stay little forever, but it is counterproductive. Our very job is to let them grow up and away while hoping that we have taught them the skills they need to make this world a better place. Grade One is just one of those tiny loosenings of the grip, even just a little.

So, I’ll have to take what I can get: A couple of parent-teacher interviews; photocopied newsletters on bright coloured paper stuffed into the bottom of a backpack; those very rare letters home about misbehaviour; intel from other parents; and the small bits that I am lucky enough to witness and hear about right from the source.

Welcome to Grade One. At least the snacks are good.

This post was sponsored by Mott’s Fruitsations +Veggie, which is a great school snack for your littles, especially if they are as picky as mine are! Even before I partnered with Mott’s, we were huge fans of Mott’s Fruitsations +Veggie in our house! They are made with the juice from pears, apples, and carrots from concentrate plus strawberry puree. These snacks contain no artificial flavours or colours. Follow General Mills on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.