Miss E gave me a new title this week. Before bed one night, I told her daddy would bring her and her sister to daycare and I would pick them up.
Without skipping a beat, she asked, “Can you please not be the last mom?”
“The last mom?” I asked.
“The last mom to arrive at daycare at the end of a day,” she described.
In Miss E’s eyes, it’s the scarlet letter of a working mom. Our girls attend a small home daycare. She knows each mom who comes and goes. Since I’m usually the last mom who picks up her kids at the end of the day, I now hold that title.
I’ll own that title with minimal mom guilt. I often show up to games, in my work attire, right before tipoff. I’ve been balancing the tightrope of career and family for years. I can’t be everywhere at once, but I would rather be the last mom at the game or the last mom at daycare than be the mom who missed it altogether.
Sometimes being the last mom is my favorite time of the day, such as when I’m the last mom at the park with her kids. Those are the moments I soak in, amidst the chaos of life. I’ve felt my share of mom guilt, but most days I try to sit on the floor and play with my kids. We read a couple of books and talk about their day. In those moments, I’m a mom—and only a mom. The mom who sees Miss A capture the first lady bug of the season.
Whether you’re the last mom, the first mom or somewhere in between here’s to you for being there. I was still the last mom at daycare this week. I was the last mom at preschool screening too. But tomorrow I’ll be the last mom to bring her kids to daycare. I’m so thankful flexibility and trade-offs allow me to be a mom who is right where she needs to be.“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Pin It
LOVE IT! We moms sometimes get the bad rap but in the end, who gets the #1 finger and “hi mom” on national tv? It’s the mom. God gave you the children he knew you could do the very best with…even if you’re told, “you’re the worstest mommy I’ve ever had” (said by my now 24 year old daughter) 🙂 Let’s stick together, us moms!
so wonderful. 🙂
My mom was a single mom who worked two jobs just to keep us fed and a good roof over our head. She was the last mom. My husband who had a mom who never worked, had to move constantly, hardly had any food, ratty clothes. Being the poor new kid all the time was hard, he has like a 7th grade education if hes lucky. Now that Im an adult with kids, Id take the last mom any day. Im lucky enough, my husband works hard to that I get to stay home with my girls. I appreciate how hard my mom worked for us, I think that shows more love, then just being home with them after school
Great post Katie!
Courtney
The “Last BEST Mom!” I love the photo of your cutie pie on the tire swing by the way.
Your right, being there, no matter when it is, is more important than not being there at all. We don’t have the ability to recapture moments in our childrens lives so the most important thing is being there. Being a mom is hard work, but being a working mom is harder work. Moms juggle many things and the most important thing we juggle is time, because we want to spend as much of it with the thing that means the most to all of us, family. Keep on being last because it means your just one step away from first! 🙂
Your kids will definitely remember you as ‘the mom who was there to watch my (game, play, concert, etc)’ above any other titles 😉
Oh, my goodness. A’s sunglasses on her head and flips are so cute!
I’m not always the last mom, but I will definitely be one of the moms there…and your kids know that you support what they do, that much is so very, very apparent. Thank you for the reminder!
great post, we all do the best we can! love your thoughts!
This sounds familiar. My parents were always the last ones too. And I’m sure I’ll be like that when I’m a parent. And that’s OK. Being there is what’s important.