First day back at work

It was pretty good. I enjoyed seeing the kids and my colleagues, and it was track-and-field day, so it was a nice laid-back chance to reintegrate. It’s the first time I’ve left a school and then come back to the same one, and I have to admit it was really nice being welcomed back to the community.

Of course, it was hard leaving my little guy this morning. He was still asleep, and so beautiful and peaceful and yummy-looking. I just wanted to scoop him up and bring him along.

Chatting with a co-worker today, we agreed that the connection you feel to your baby when you’ve had that year to bond… it’s visceral, and it stretches painfully when you have to remove yourself. Especially removing yourself for a job, because it’s a mental removal as well as a physical one. Now I have to harmonize my mom-self with my teacher-self (along with my dancer-self, my Camp-self, my wife-self…). But overall, I cannot complain. The day went well, and then I got to come home and kiss E’s silky little arms (he was asleep for his nap, looking just like I left him!) and it was all worth it.

{Doesn’t mean I didn’t speak sternly to him when he smacked my glasses off my face for the twelve millionth time.}

I CANNOT imagine having done this when he was only eight or twelve weeks old, as most women do in the States. Had that been the case, I would have cried all day. Talk about visceral – mamas should not be required to leave their babies at that point. It’s monstrous. I’m just saying.

Thank you so much for your loving comments and messages. It helped a lot.