Back to School from My Point of View
I want you to know that I see you when you are trying to be invisible.
I watch you quietly trying to calm your nervous baby as he clings to the door jam, desperate to not make a scene. We’ve learned to be good at orchestrating situations to navigate the swells, but the beginning of school can feel like a tidal wave.
We are the mothers who don’t have pictures of their babies on the first day of school because sometimes it’s too painful. While some parents are excited for new beginnings, we worry about transitions, meltdowns and tears. We are the ones that spend weeks trying to explain a new schedule and often end up just as confused as our children.
And while we layer a pandemic on top of another school year, it is understandable why parents worry about effects on their child’s “normal” experience. Our neurodivergent children never had one.
If you are a mother of a child like mine, I want you to know that you are not alone in this.
I feel your stress as you attend open houses and fill out fresh evaluations. I hear your love when you delicately describe your child’s strengths to a teacher. I understand the importance of explaining how your child chooses to self-soothe. I carry your hopeful heart as you tenderly give your baby’s hand to an aid. I realize that quite often, there are two people crying at drop-offs. I also embrace your small victories and acknowledge that we measure success in inches when others have milestones.
Your child is a beacon of Light, and you shine brighter when you are closer to her. This school year will provide challenges, but I pray it also brings infinite growth- for your little one and you.
And when your child comes home one afternoon with an inchstone, write it on a chalkboard and snap a picture of her holding it. Be proud in that moment and know you are both seen.
“We are all fearfully and wonderfully made”
Gayle Brooker Photography