When my oldest started kindergarten I was a 30-something mom. I had a younger child in preschool. I instantly meshed with most of the other moms. We set up playdates with each other’s kids and socialized outside school.
I found a commonality with all the moms except the moms with older kids and a kindergartner. I just could not find a common ground with these older moms. My life revolved around the daily goings on with my kindergartner. The moms of older kids had a “been there done that” attitude. Seriously, what kind of parent forgets to send a Halloween costume to school with their kindergartner? A mom of older kids.
My daughter’s entry to school was also my entry in to the world of parenting a child through the public educational system. After 8 years I regard many of these then first-time moms among my closest friends. We have laughed together, cried together, and pulled our hair out at the latest hair-brained idea to come home from school with our child. In short we are friends because our children are friends.
Eight years later I find myself on the other side of the fence. I am now the gray-haired, 40-something mom puzzled by the hand-wringing of the very much younger kindergarten moms. My son’s rough transition to kindergarten is a source of annoyance to me, but I know this to shall pass.
While I don’t think I have very much in common with a mom of younger kids, I do like the feeling that I have weathered the storm once before and I will get my child through kindergarten.
this makes me crack up because i'm both of those moms! I am young but extremely laid back. i think that comes with having four kids. not much fazes me. i have a 9,6,4 &1 year old. so as all the other moms are in harvest party planning frenzy for kindergarten, i'm trying to remember to send my son to school with socks on. and what's funny, is that i don't fit in with the young moms or the older ones. i have lots of kids, so my life doesn't revolve around any one of them. but i also have piercings and tattoos which tends to make them all a little unsure of me (my kids go to a private christian school:) up until recently, my husband had dread locks. then people would meet us and find out that we are leaders at our church and that i lead the entire women's ministry program. we seem to be a whole host of contradictions. so the young moms are a little put off that i have lots of kids and don't take things too seriously (such as bad kindergarten behavior, and my son's teacher is 22!) and the older moms tend to be put off by my appearance. i guess you can't win!