A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do

Who would have thought that I'd be worrying (and writing) about being an overprotecting mother? There's a first for everything.

Last night, around 9pm

Monday morning, 8am. 

It had been raining since yesterday and all through the night, but today looked like it was going to be a dry day, even though on the cool side. 

Can you see raindrops during the day? Me neither!

Mr C didn't want to wear a jacket. Because… summer! I let him go in his thin sweater.

10:30am. Why is it so dark all of a sudden? And what's that sound? 
Geez, where did all that rain suddenly come from? It was pouring! Big fat drops, and gazillions of them! 

OK - what am I going to do? Colin's class goes to the gym on Monday mornings. His favorite. They walk to the school gym before 10 and head back after 11. It's less than 2,000 feet, but far enough to get soaked! Wait, am I sure it's 10 - 11? Maybe it's 9:30 - 10:30, and they will be on their way soon? Will they wait until it stops? What if it doesn't?

My husband read an article about helicopter parents the other day. Obviously teachers say that moms who care (=control) too much have become a bigger problem than the ones who actually don't give a d* and neglect their kids. I don't know any of them, but hey, the teachers must know. 

My aunt is an elementary school teacher, and she says some of the moms asked her to send them a text when the kid arrives at school. She refused, but younger teachers do it. When she told us about this, I joked and said "I don't need a text about his arrival time, but I wouldn't mind an occasional picture showing how he is having a good time."

Anyway. Here I was - still in my PJs, my Monday morning treat when I don't have to go shopping or leave the house otherwise - debating in my head whether I should bring a jacket to the gym, and if I did, how would I go about it? Sneak into the locker room and just leave it with his stuff? Would he even notice? He has been known to forget his cap, his sweater or his bag. Actually walk into their gym class and risk to embarrass him? 

Maybe it was going to stop raining anyway, and I should just relax and take my shower now? How could I take a warm shower when at the same time my boy would get a cold one? What kind of a mom risks her kid getting sick? "He didn't want to wear his jacket" is a lame excuse. He is 5.5 years old, and he also doesn't want to eat his veggies and go to bed - I still make him! It's my ?#@*&%! responsibility!

So if you were in the neighborhood and saw a mom in a ponytail (who cares about washing their hair when they worry about their baby getting a cold pneumonia?) scurrying from the school parking lot to the gym with a boy's jacket in her hand… it was me.

I was going to leave it in the locker room, but then I heard cheerful kids shrieking, and I couldn't help myself. I opened the door and snuck a peak. Aaaawww, what a happy place! They were running around, laughing and not worrying about a thing! I didn't even see Colin, but I did see Mrs T, his teacher. I gave her the jacket, and she nodded and said "Thanks. Now did you bring one for me, too? Gee, it's really coming down hard, isn't it?"

Needless to say, by the time I was back home, the rain subsided, and as I'm typing this, the sun is back out, and the birds are chirping. 

You have a wonderful Monday, friends!