It seems like my daughter Ilse has been at her school forever, but it’s only been about two years. Her whole school calendar has been “calendared” into my husband’s and my respective calendars, along with parties, dinners with friends, and doctor’s appointments. Of course, if any of those events overlap business hours on weekdays, those events are penned into our work calendars too. It may seem like overkill for some (see my “scheduling hacks” post for tips) , but it keeps our household running smoothly.
This morning, I woke up in a panic at 5AM, thirty minutes (okay more like twenty-five minutes) before my alarm, thinking that today was Ilse’s picture day. A quick reference of my emails and calendar reminded me that it was tomorrow. Whew! But why was I panicked in the first place? Ilse had picked out her entire outfit, from hair accessories to the outfit itself and its matching shoes. The picture day outfit was clean and only needed a touch of an iron to press out the wrinkles in the cardigan. The only “day of,” or in our case, “night before” decision we needed to make was whether Ilse would wear leggings under her dress or her tumbling shorts and what spare pair of shoes to take to school. Based on the 80+ degree forecast (much to my sweater-weather dismay), we’ve decided on shorts.
Tip: We pack an extra pair of shoes for Ilse whenever she wears dress shoes. It gives her the flexibility to change into more comfortable shoes, just like her parents.
Essentially, we are ready for tomorrow’s “Picture Day.” The only difference between this year and last year, is that this year, my husband Daniel is dropping her off at school, as I have an online training course in the morning. A part of me feels like I am missing out by not being the parent who drops her off and gives her the “picture day” pep talk, as I know we will have to divide duties after the birth of our second child. Maybe it’s more parent guilt versus parent panic, because we will have to divide and conquer our growing activities as our family transitions to a family of four.
In any case, “Picture Day” is nothing to worry about, so long as Ilse feels good about what she is wearing and does her best to smile for the camera. I take comfort in knowing that there will be more “Picture Days” in our future and that I am present for the school events that matter to Ilse.
