Commencement

Today I went back to work. My year of Mothering is coming to a close. I have three days of professional development this month, and three more in July. Then, come August, I will need to be in my classroom full time in order to prepare my room, curriculum and self for the 26 10 year olds who will be under my tutelage next year. I left for work at 7 am, before everyone else was up, and Peter dropped off the kids at Sarita's around 9. Jasper was so excited to be hanging out with his bud Bisho all day. This was the first time Josie and I have been separated for more than a couple of waking hours. I was surprisingly calm. Josie was surprisingly anxious (would not be put down, except for her nap, all day). When I finally arrived in the midst of a raging thunderstorm she collapsed into my arms, teary, smiling, relieved, perplexed. Oh! She comes back!? Ohhhh. It was a great day of contemplating enduring understandings in elementary mathematics, and I found the time with adults luxurious. I was glad to see both of them at the end of the day (Jasper ignored me and then cried when I told him we had to go), but I was most relieved to hold Josie again. I am not sure I am ready to give her up just yet. But I must. And I will.