We’ve Got the Monday Morning Drop-Off Blues

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The Drop-Off Blues: Why Monday Mornings are the Worst | Denver Metro Moms Blog

Oh, baby girl, Mondays are hard on me, too. Every Monday morning, when we make our way into the older toddler class at the school where you’ve spent the majority of your little life. You cling to me tight with your head buried deep against my chest, your fists clenched, and your legs clamped around my waist like a little Koala bear. “Mommy Mondays,” your teacher calls it; the work week’s cruel post script to the Sunday Scaries. Believe me, sweet one, when I tell you that the first school drop-off of the week isn’t easy for me either.

For me, Monday mornings are like flicking on a too-bright light before your eyes have time to adjust to the dark. And with this stark reality, it’s much too easy for me to feel my anxiety rising about the traffic, emails, and meetings that lay before me in the day ahead.

I’m learning to understand that your resistance to get ready and leave the house in the morning is not bad behavior or defiant toddler naughtiness-It’s pure love and longing to stay in the place you feel the most secure, with the people you most love. And for that, I can find a few extra minutes to gather my patience and actually feel like I’m doing something right as your mama.

I’m grateful and proud of the home that we’ve made your own, and the routines and the rituals that put you at ease. The Saturday morning cartoon snuggles, and Sunday afternoon Play-Doh sessions are special to me and your daddy, too. 

So please know, baby girl, when we struggle through the carseat wrestle and the clingy daycare drop-off on Monday morning, I feel it too. After a cozy and happy weekend, I feel like I’ve broken off a piece of my heart and left it out in the wild. And of course I feel that way – you are a part of me, and I of you.

But it’s okay, because I’ll slowly slink out of the daycare room while your teachers get you distracted with circle time. And I’ll carry you tethered to my heart and on the edge of my mind all day. You will be my happy place when I need a grounding moment.

I’ll receive a picture from the school on my phone of your cheesy grin dressed up in a silly outfit, or up to your elbows in paint, and we’ll both be reassured that our eyes have adjusted to the dark Monday morning dawn, and Tuesday drop-off will be a little bit easier on the both of us.

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Karleen is proud to be a (rare) Denver-Metro native, currently living in Broomfield with her husband and spunky toddler girl. Karleen is the Digital Marketing Manager for Visit Boulder. In a previous life, Karleen was a professional ice skater performing everywhere from theme parks to cruise ships throughout North America and Europe. Unpacking her bags permanently in the Mile High City in 2012 has been a welcome change of pace, and motherhood is the most recent adventure she’s attempting to navigate one day at a time. Karleen is a graduate of the University of Denver, which remains her most favorite neighborhood in Denver. Aside from working and toddler wrangling, Karleen can be found snuggled in bed with a good book or taking the occasional lap around the rink at the nearby YMCA.

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