I had a feeling today might be a bit of a scramble. We needed to drop off my partner at the airport and then rush back to school before 12:35. I managed to get my little one there by 12:32, and I felt a sense of accomplishment.
After that, I spent a couple of hours tidying up the house, enjoying the rare quiet, and reveling in the soothing coos of my baby. Everything was going smoothly until my phone rang at 2:35 PM. I didn’t recognize the number, so I let it ring. I like to let my phone ring because my ringtone is “Anastasia” by A Silent Film, and I can’t resist dancing and singing along with my little one while I clean.
Just ten minutes later, the same number called again. A hunch hit me—it could be the school, reaching out because my child was unwell. She had been feeling slightly off yesterday, but seemed to be on the mend.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Emma?”
“Yes.”
“This is Sarah from the Elementary School. I have your child here. She’s waiting for you to pick her up. Today is a common day, so school was out at 2:15.”
My heart sank. “Oh no! I’m on my way!”
I quickly strapped the baby into the car seat and cursed the slow-moving vehicles in front of me as I raced to the school, imagining my little one sitting forlornly in the office, swinging her feet, utterly heartbroken that I had forgotten her.
Upon arriving at the school, I scooped the baby onto my hip and hurried into the office. To my surprise, my child was there, helping the office staff clean and seemingly having the time of her life.
After a moment of confusion and relief, I rushed over to her and hugged her tightly. “I am so sorry! I didn’t know! Are you okay?”
“Yep!” she replied, proudly pointing to the drawings she had made for the office staff.
“She’s quite the artist,” Sarah said with a smile. “Don’t worry; you’re not the only parent who forgot today’s schedule.”
“Wait, what is a common day? I’m still getting used to this whole school thing.”
“It’s an early release day for parent-teacher conferences. The next one won’t be until February,” she explained.
Mental note: remember to pick her up early in February during parent-teacher conferences.
“Oh. Did we receive an email about it?”
“Yes, the principal sent one out a few days ago.”
Right, the one email I hadn’t read. Why? Because the subject line stated “Parent-Teacher Conferences,” and I was under the impression that kindergarteners wouldn’t have them.
Great.
Then, I noticed the fluorescent yellow note pinned to my child’s shirt. I realized I had forgotten that today was October 8th. The note had the time my child needed to be picked up circled, as if I didn’t already know she was a PM kid. They must really not trust me.
Wait—school started an hour earlier today? My morning mission to get her to school on time turned out to be a complete disaster. #momfail.
And the note pinned to my child’s shirt? Clearly, the teachers thought it wasn’t enough to just forget the pick-up time and get a call—nope, I needed a public reminder.
In all honesty, I understood why it was pinned there. If teachers put notes in her backpack, there was no way she’d remember to give them to me. That’s why they send me emails. At least the circling wasn’t done in red ink.
If you’re in a similar boat or just navigating the early days of parenting, check out this insightful post on home insemination. And if you’re considering at-home insemination, you might want to visit Make a Mom for reliable kits. For further support on pregnancy, the CDC is an excellent resource.
In summary, today was a whirlwind of emotions, mistakes, and unexpected lessons. Every parent has those moments, and it’s all part of the journey.
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