Mama comes back, she always comes back, she always comes back to get you… ♪♫
It is 7:45am, and our Nanny and Stella are singing that little ditty to Harvey as I get ready to walk out the door. He is in a serious Mommy phase lately, and he’s always kind of a wreck when I leave for work, which kills me. Both of my kids started daycare at 8 weeks old, but Harvey has had an in-home Nanny or his Nana watching him since he was about 12 weeks old, and he definitely struggles more with separation anxiety than Stella ever did, perhaps because he’s always at our house and in our space still when I have to leave him. I hate it. Stella on the other hand…
*****
Stella: It’s okay Harvey, Mommy always comes back!
Me: That’s right. I just have to go to work. I’ll see you both at lunch.
Stella: Right! You have to go to work to go to meetings.
[Insert a grimace from me. Apparently I’ve been complaining too much about the early morning office meetings lately.]
Me: That’s right, I do have a meeting this morning.
Stella: Daddy is at work too. He is paying the bills.
[I crack up laughing. This phrase started because last summer Stella asked Charlie to stay home from work one day, and he told her that he couldn’t stay home because he had to go to work to pay the bills. She literally thinks that’s what he does at work now. In reality, he is a concrete contractor! LOL]
Me: Yep, you’re right, Daddy is paying the bills. Have a good day with Miss Margi, okay?
Stella: [wistfully] I can’t wait until I’m a big girl and can go to work and pay the bills.
Me: Okay kid. Be careful what you wish for. I love you.
Stella: Love you too, Mommy! See you later!
*****
She is such an easygoing, well adjusted kid about this stuff. I know that so much of it is just her inherent personality (super outgoing and comfortable hanging out with most anyone), but it sure makes it easier on us when we have to leave for work every day. I just hope she rubs off on her brother soon!
So happy to see Daddy at the end of the day. <3
I find that He-Beat struggles more than She-Beat with separation. Even though they are both at daycare and the same age. I’m beginning to wondering if it’s just a boy thing. Then again . . . ..
There is an episode of Caillou where his mom checks the mail and says “Bills, bills, bills, nothing but bills.” Now G says “bills, bills, bills” in the same tone when he helps us check the mail.
yip, work is all about bills actually…
Our kids are so similar. No one is a stranger to Matthew but Bryson is hesitant. Leaving for date night last night was much like this post.
I thought for a long time that my dad printed money as his job because I asked once what he did at work and he said, “I make money.”. The preschool called home when I announced this to the class!
He looks pretty happy to see them, too!
I have a little booklet from each year of elementary school with my school picture, a list of who my friends that year were, my height and weight, what I wanted to be when I grew up. One year says “bill collector” bc I thought that person got all the money that people paid for their bills.
I can relate to this SO MUCH. Taylor is so good about me going to work, but since Alex really never did daycare (we got our nanny when he was just 3 months old), he has much stronger separation anxiety.
Taylor loves to play “work” and when we are in the basement, I stay on the kid’s stage (home) while she works and makes money for her family. As much as I struggle with the work life balance, I do realize there are some positive traits the kids are getting from seeing mommy and daddy both going to work.
Aww. Mira was in daycare at one and Leila has always been home, but Leila struggles much less with separation. Funny, I thought maybe it was because being left at home is easier. Ha!
Damn bills! What a sweet little conversation and photo too 🙂 Lids had some tears going to preschool in the beginning but didn’t last long before she got to where she is now of “See ya mum!” and off she goes to join her buddies each day. Which makes me happy that she is so comfortable there now. We’ll see how Ezzie is.. still a while to go yet! 🙂