My anxiety levels were on high for weeks even months as I described here now for this one day.
I had rescheduled all of my work to make sure that I didn’t miss this day and was 100% present for Emma’s big day.
Finally it was the morning of and I foolishly thought I was all prepared. I even had bought an oversized filed folder envelope at Target the day before and had gotten all the back to school papers filed and the name tags and bus pass for Emma hung on the fridge.
It was 10:50 am, when we pulled up to the school for kindergarten orientation.
Right away, I was a bit thrown off by the fact that there was tons of parking right outside the elementary school and got one of the first spots.
Something didn’t feel right and my stomach was churning.
I pulled out the orientation “Save the Date Card”.
Right away, I saw it.
The card read: Sail into Kindergarten” and “Save the date” – Tuesday, August 26, 2014.
Only, it was Thursday, August 28, 2014!
Yup, we were only 2 days late – right away I imagined the words, “World’s Worst Mom” written below the date.
Don’t ask me how I made this error and as I looked at the date realizing I had indeed screwed up royally, a thumb the size of Texas filled my throat, while tears were beginning to form.
It felt surreal and wished I was having a nightmare I could wake up from!
Only I was completely awake and not dreaming at all.
I pulled out my cell phone to check the date and sure enough it was two days later.
I dialed Kevin at work and immediately told him of my bonehead mistake.
Got to love him, he told me to calm down and that mistakes happen all the time, but not to worry, go into the school and see what I could indeed find out.
I knew I had to put my big girl panties on and do exactly what he said, but a part of me wished I could crawl right into the largest hole I could dig.
I did though, apologizing to Emma profusely.
Got to give my girl credit, she wasn’t angry at me and she even made the best of the situation.
We ended up getting a private tour of the school with the principal – where she wowed the principal with being able to recognize her teacher’s last name by knowing what letter of the alphabet it started with and spelling her own name, too. She also got to put her supplies away in her classroom with all the other kids, too.
But “Mommy Guilt” is the worst and even after it was over would have done anything to make it up to Emma – take away the “Worst Mom of the Year Feeling“.
We went to the playground, where she smiled away, talked to other kids who were there, went up the largest part of the playground equipment (the one the principal thought would be too big for my petite 5 year old- nothing scares this kid!) and even went on the big kid swings.
Then, I offered to take her and Lily to lunch at McDonald’s (hoping a happy meal would be a peace offering of sorts) and even took them to the Disney Store, where both girls got Elsa pocketbooks.
And when I asked, Emma if she was Ok and if she forgave me, my five year daughter taught me something by saying, “Mommy, it’s ok, even mommies make mistakes sometimes, but try not to do this again next year with Lily!”
I guess she told me and god help me next year, I will be ready and promise even if I have to tattoo it on my hand I will not mix up the days of the week again, because I need to redeem myself and not feel like the “Worst Mom of the Year” again!
If you missed any of the Labor Day Deals and Sales, I shared this past weekend on my blog, please click here to check them out.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Oh man, Janine. Mistakes like that do happen and don’t beat yourself up anymore than you already have about it. How cool is it that she got a private tour?
Rosey says
Well if that’s what you consider worst mommy of the year, your kids have it made. Which I already knew, and that’s a great thing. 🙂
Rosey says
eh, it happens. To all of us. 🙂 I think it turned out cool getting the private tour. 😉
Karen says
Aw, I am so sorry that this happened to you. What your daughter said is so true, Mommies make mistakes too! It happens. Lord knows I’ve made them too!! I know I would feel horrible like you did. I’m glad everything worked out though and you guys had a great day after all.
Diane Roark says
Janine,
I hate making mistakes concerning my kids too as much as you do, but you are NOT the world’s worst mom. You are an amazing mom. I have truly learned what makes a good mom is how you handle the difficult situations. I think you did a great job handling this situation. Emma got a private tour of the school and everything worked out.
Have a great day!
Diane Roark
Jen@JENerallyInformed says
Oh Janine I am so sorry. You were trying so hard to be organized and prepared and make this wonderful for your daughter. I think you all made the best of the situation. She even got a personal tour, how fun! I wouldn’t sweat it, you are far from the world’s worst mom.
Echo says
Mistakes do happen! I have completely missed appointments before because of a small detail being missed! It happens! It’s amazing how gracious Emma was! Good job on teaching her that, Janine!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
Awww, big hugs to you. Mistakes DO happen all the time. I once took both my girls when it was -20 C to a homeschool group event that I was 1 week late for! It was awful and embarrassing but we ended up making a nice day of it anyway, as I took them for a spontaneous field trip.
Perhaps your private tour is exactly what your little girl needs to ease her into school.
xoxo
PS – Wouldn’t it be cool if playgrounds had ponies?!
Bill says
That falls under the category of “Oh well.” It could have happened to anyone, and I know darned well I missed some of my son’s events. You are a great mother and that’s all that matters…now, get to work. 🙂
Seana Turner says
We’ve all taken our turn with missing the date. After all, a 6 and an 8 look pretty similar:)
Dara says
oh my gosh, you must have felt awful! so happy that Emma was ok with the mistake and everything worked out.
Kim @ HappyPrettyBlog says
Awww I’m sure you feel much worse than Emma does! AND she got her own private tour so that’s pretty cool! Mamas make mistakes too, we’re just so hard on ourselves that it’s harder to take.
Camille says
Awww, we all make a few of these major mistakes as parents!! And late ron, we realize they are not as bad as they seemed at the time. 🙂 PS I love Emma’s quote for you!! So adorable, hahah.
Pure Grace Farms says
What a great lesson for your little one to learn, even if it came at a bit of a cost. Mommies mess up sometimes. She handled it so gracefully. Don’t beat yourself up, Janine. There is no mistake that can’t be redeemed. Sounds like this one already has. A great memory for down the road when the kids get older, even if right now it might not seem so.
Blessings,
Shari
Mrs. AOK says
You are not the worst Mommy at all! Don’t beat yourself up, seriously these things happen to the best of us. I know it’s easy to forget, I battle Mommy guilt daily, but we’re human too, we *can* make mistakes 🙂 August 26th must’ve been Mommy-mistake day because I did the same, I forgot all about my son’s much-needed eye appointment! He’s 6, he has a lazy eye, astigmatism, and he needed new glasses, and I totally went about my day on his appointment :-/ When the office called to see if we were making it I felt horrible & embarrassed. Luckily, we got him in this past Friday 🙂 He’s okay, your daughter is okay, we’re both okay.
Wishing you all the best this school year!
XOXO
Kristi Campbell says
Oh Janine! I know that you probably did really feel absolutely like the worst mom of the year but forgive yourself as easily as Emma did! Also, I went to ours, and it wasn’t awesome, so I emailed the team and they let Tucker and I come back the next day. Which was way better. So I think your private tour ended up perfect. Plus, Elsa purses? You’re totally winning.
April says
Oh my goodness, this has been my BIGGEST fear since they untied the beginning of school with Labor Day! I haven’t messed up yet, but I spend lots of time checking, double checking and re-checking the date every year. It’s pretty stressful. Emma is such a darling! Yes, mommies make mistakes too. 🙂
Sharon, The Mayor says
I will let you in on a little secret, it happens all the time. Most kindergarden teachers know the night/day orientation is really a week. Some parents work, sibling’s activities and just plain traffic turn the night into orientation week. Seriously, it does truly happen all the time. Just ask any kindergarden teacher.
I missed my oldest orientation because it was clear across town at 5:00 p.m. Who picks a time during the middle of Chicago traffic and right after nap time? Plus, I forgot to write it down. That is how I know it truly is a week’s orientation. The kindergarden teacher told me quietly she plans for this every year.
Joy @ Yesterfood says
LOL- “try not to do this again next year with Lily!” What a little trooper your Emma is! It sounds like it worked out very well- a private tour, and probably much less chaos than it would have been on Tuesday. And new backpacks! Bless your heart, all us moms do make mistakes- glad it all worked out! 🙂
Joy @ Yesterfood says
P.S. Pinned (too cute not to share!) 🙂
Tracie says
Oh no! I can totally see myself making this kind of mistake. In fact, I was so late buying supplies for school this year we are having to start a week late (that is what happens when you are both mom and teacher). It is probably really great she got a chance to meet the principal, and got a bit of a special introduction to all the kids in her class. It might even have made that first day a little better in some ways. No matter what, though, I love the grace she gave you that all moms make mistakes sometimes. She is so very right.
Kim says
Oh you poor thing – I hate that mommy guilt!!! So very sweet of Emma to be so forgiving and pleasant about the whole thing – plus this way the principal will already know her:)
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama says
Oh wow Janine, this completely sounds like something I would do!! I tend not to register dates when I look at things, even if I pass them a million times a day! I have had people call me and ask me where I am because I totally forgot a date!! Its so nice that she was able to get her private tour and get recognized for her intelligence. 🙂 She is ready now!!
Cynthia says
You’re so cute! No one could ever, EVER use the words “worst mom” in any kind of sentence within 1000 miles of you. I swear this is true.
Let me tell you: even as a teacher, so many parents come at different times for different reasons on different days…teachers and principals learn to just roll with the flow.
Turns out that showing up a couple days later worked out very well! A private tour with the principal is a wonderful thing – and a rarity. 🙂 Principals like getting out of the office for good reasons and I bet she loved spending time with Emma. 🙂 Plus now you have rapport with the principal.
Lastly, if you were a “bad mom,” you wouldn’t feel guilty about missing orientation: trust me, I’ve seen it all. You have got to be one of the most dedicated moms I know! 🙂
Hope you’ve had a good few weeks! Just trying to hang on for the ride this semester. I’m swamped. 🙂
Anna Fitfunner says
Hi Janine: you are normally SO organized, I can understand why this would be mortifying to you! But your girl was sweet about it, and so was your hubby!
I don’t know about your family, but in mine this would make a great story for years to come… Hope that the rest of the year goes better!
Aunt Gloria says
Wow….Emma has a very level head on her shoulders! She handled the whole situation well and you need to stop feeling bad about the mistake about the date. It happens….and alls well that ends well, which it did! Hope the first day is a good one. Our Emma will dazzle them all! Love to all…..glad we had a chance to visit and catch up. Love….xxxxxooooo PS – Elsa is adorable!
Aunt Gloria says
Tell Lily I’ll see her soon again….it was good she went to see her grandparents and we did have some nice time together before you all left. Hope Emma’s first day went well. It’s so hot! xxxxxooooo
Carrie Groneman says
Janine, that is so funny and so me. You’re doing a great job and a wonderful mom. Besides, taking the girls to the store always buys ‘brownie’ points. lol Have a great week. Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
Stephanie @ Life, Unexpectedly says
“… but don’t do it next year with Lily!” Priceless!!! I’m glad Emma took it so easy, but I’m with you, I’d totally feel like the world’s worst mom (which you are totally not!!!!) A couple of weeks ago I was about 15 minutes late picking up Lily from her horse riding class (after dropping her off without a helmet (which was still lost in the moving chaos). As I parked my car, she came down the path from the stables, telling me that she was scared that I’d forgotten her and therefore had just started on her way home (we were actually delayed because Calvin’s newborn hearing screening took forever). Totally felt like the world’s worst mom right there!!
becka says
It happens to us all trust me. I have forgotten dr appts and felt the same way. 🙂 It will be fine in the end. And you probably got a better tour than the other parents in all the chaos of orientation. 🙂
Shandy Jo says
I’m terrified I will do something just like this and tend to check and recheck dates. But mistakes do happen. We didn’t have an orientation exactly, but I take both kids in for open house tonight. My son is going into kindergarten, school starts tomorrow, and I’m dreading it. Thank goodness, my work gave us an extra day off this week. It means I get to put the kids on the bus and won’t have to go to work crying my eyes out.
Tamara says
Aw! I just love her! I know how anxious/upset you were and are. I know that well. It’s a tough week for all of us, isn’t it? I promise you that you will both be GREAT. And I love you!
Bev says
Oh this TOTALLY sounds like something I would do!! As Emma said, we all make mistakes (even mommies), and you are a wonderful mom!
Feed Me Dearly says
You made the best of a bad situation. That was brave of you! 🙂
Happy Wordless Wednesday!
Christy Birmingham says
Awww I just knew she would forgive you and of course she did 🙂 Yes, we all make mistakes and it’s wonderful that the day turned out great in the end with the trip to get their new toys!!
Jay @CraftySpices says
Janine remember that you are an awesome mom and things happen, and maybe they happen for a reason that you don’t know. Emma got a special private tour and I am so sure that things will be OK.
No wearies….
Have a lovely rest of the week.
Rea says
Awww Janine, you should actually be proud that you were able to overcome that situation. 🙂 I agree though that we sometimes blame ourselves for even one misstep and mistake but Emma is so sweet to just be cool about it. With all the things going on in our lives, we’re somehow bound to forget something at some point and in your case, it’s the Kinder orientation. I’m sure you’ll do just fine in the coming days. Hugs to you my friend!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
Oh Janine…I know that feeling well of the pit in your stomach because I have done it too where I have missed things that were a big deal. I’m glad Emma took it in stride!
Brittany Bullen says
Janine,
My heart is aching for you! I think we all have moments like that as moms. It was a total accident, it could have happened to any one of us. You love your daughter and it sounds like she’s just fine. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just wave a magic wand and make all those feelings go away?
Brittnei says
We easily beat ourselves up as moms sometimes. I totally understand. I would have been very upset with myself, too. I bet Emma’s maturity and words really showed you how much she has really grown. I couldn’t imagine JR saying something like that to me. I would have cried! 🙂
Michelle says
I consciously didn’t go to the kindergarten orientation. We’ve been to the school a number of times for testing and for things related to my older child whom goes to the same school. I got an eye roll from my neighbor after she asked me if I was going and I flat out told her “No”. You’ll still have plenty of time to meet the parents too.
The fact that you were beating yourself up over missing the date was most likely more upsetting to your daughter than missing the date itself.
The Pinterested Parent says
Oh Lord Janine, I make mistakes like this all the time. I sometimes don’t know how I make it through life. LOl! Don’t be too hard on yourself. Stuff happens & life goes on. I am certain that the teacher did not think that you were a bad mama. You wouldn’t have called for another meeting if you were. Smile Janine. You are a great mama.
Sandy Ramsey says
You’re not the first and you certainly won’t be the last mom to ever screw up a date! Can you imagine how many times I’ve done it, being a parent for almost thirty years! Emma was such a big girl about it which just proves that you are nowhere near world’s worst mom.
karen says
I hate to write this… but… “Let It Go…” LOL
seriously, it won’t the last mistake and it wasn’t that bad. but we as moms guilt and beat ourselves up more than we need to.
Love how she warned you about Lily
Rabia @TheLiebers says
Oh no!! I’m sorry you missed the orientation, but so glad that Emma was chill about it. I’ve done the same thing before for a school activity and the feeling you get in your gut is awful!