Confessions of a Perfect(ish) Mom

Confessions of a Perfect(ish) Mom School’s out for

By Hattie Foote

The school year is winding down and I just want to start off by saying, “We did it!”

It wasn’t pretty, but we did it. As I sat down to write this column, I received an email for the 2021-2022 school registration, and all I could think of was, “What? How?”

I was just recently thinking about when lockdown first started in 2020 and schools were abruptly closed for “two weeks.” I couldn’t wrap my head around it, and after that, every time there was news or an update, I would just be devastated.

I distinctly remember going on a walk with the kids one afternoon and my news alert went off on my phone saying that school would not resume until the fall. I cried, and honestly at that point, I couldn’t imagine what could/would come next.

It was at that point that I decided moving forward, I would just go with the flow and not get my hopes up. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” was my motto and it served me well for many future disappointments.

Last year when my daughter was in kindergarten, I volunteered in the class. I knew all of the parents, classmates, and of course, the teacher. It was everything I envisioned for my daughter; it was safe and gentle, and she was thriving.

When they had to switch to Zoom to finish their year, I sat next to the computer, completely overwhelmed as to what we were supposed to be doing. I ordered all of these random teaching tools on Amazon, panicked about how I was supposed navigate this. Then I watched our angel of a teacher, (Hi, Mrs. Kennedy!), take control of the chaos that is 25 kindergarteners on Zoom. There was confusion, frustration, and a streaker incident (who else other than my 4-year-old Hunter), but little by little the kids and parents got the hang of it.

I cried (again) as they ended the school year, saying goodbye as the screen went dark. We mourned the sudden end to our year, and went on with our summer, looking forward to the new school year. It should be back to normal by fall of ’20, right?

Wrong. So wrong.

Instead, the first day came and we were still at the computer. We were lucky enough to be able to head back to in-person in October, then of course back home in December and then back in January. Basically, a rollercoaster from hell.

It is now June and my husband in all seriousness asked me if I knew who our daughter’s teacher was and I couldn’t help but laugh. It’s so strange to not know what the kids’ classrooms look like or be able to get to know the kids. At some point I know we have all worried that our child has fallen behind, but I have some peace knowing we are all on the same page. Also, that Harvard’s standards might be lower for this class, ha-ha!

As of now, school is expected to be back full time in the fall, and while I am so ready for some normalcy, there will be certain aspects of this year that I will miss. The extra time together was such a gift, and watching the kids pivot and adjust to every curve ball was so encouraging.

I feel very self-involved detailing our experience, because I know we all went through this mess. Every single family was challenged and forced to make huge decisions. We were all performing the balancing act of our lives, and I am in awe of us all.

Last but not least can we get a standing ovation for our teachers? I mean, wow. I am so grateful for the educators who made the best out of the worst situation. It makes me teary-eyed to think about how they have sacrificed for our babies.

Our community is blessed beyond measure, and while there is still a lot of change to be had I hope we don’t lose sight of how lucky we are.