Making time for memories

MAY 12, 2010

Recently, my daughter’s preschool hosted a breakfast for moms and their wee ones. For more than a week, I debated whether I would go. Finally, sanity won out. How could I not go? What’s the point of having a flexible job if I am not willing to flex for my child? Besides, the breakfast was so early I would likely miss a grand total of 20 minutes of work, which I could make up by working through lunch.

At the school, my daughter proudly showed me to her chair. She took the perch beside me, spread out her napkin and waited patiently to receive her treat. Finally, it was muffin time. My girl could barely stay seated and eat. She was so excited to have mommy there. So happy for me to see her clean up after herself and be a big girl.

In the end, she gave me a homemade Mother’s Day card and little butterfly ornament. As she presented me with the gifts, she screamed, “I did it! I did it!” A huge smile broke out across her face. Mine too.

When I hugged and kissed her goodbye, one of her classmates came up to me and said he wanted a hug too. I looked at him and all the other kids whose moms couldn’t make it – for whatever reason – and said a silent prayer of thanks for whatever prompted me to show up. I am so grateful, I made the time. My daughter probably wouldn’t have missed me if I’d dropped her off and gone on to work. But I would have missed the memories, and that would have been the biggest loss of all.

-- Sherri Day

Posted by Times Editor at 6:00:00 am on May 12, 2010 in

| Permalink | Comments

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

Most Recent Blog Posts

Young race car driver dies May 23

Kid afraid of rollercoasters? Here's some tips May 23

Would you let your kid play football? May 22

We found ticket deals for theme parks, attractions May 21

Disney closes scary (really scary!) Snow White ride May 20

Parent complaints about early school days grow May 18

Free and cheap things to do with the kids this week May 17

Tips for taking tots out to the ballgame May 16

Parents lied to get kids in right school May 15

So how do you teach a kid to behave in a restaurant? May 12

About the bloggers

Raising children isn't easy. Whoa, Momma! is here to help you with parenting tips and discussion of all parenting issues. We think there's no such thing as TMI, so our blogging moms aren't shy about the hot topics and won't back away from a good debate. Bottle or breastfeed? Public, private or homeschool? And sex -- it's all open for comment. Don't sit on the sidelines -- pull up a bouncy seat and join the chat.

Meet the authors

Email us ideas you'd like us to write about.

THE AUTHORS

Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
wynne@tampabay.com

After six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

E-mail Kate Brassfield:
katedaphne17@gmail.com

Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

Comment Policy

Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that:

Is libelous

Is abusive, harassing, or threatening

Is obscene, vulgar, or profane

Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive

Is illegal or encourages criminal acts

Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution

Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others

Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious)

Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises

The Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy.

Registration FAQ

Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site.