I’m in a nice situation for the first time ever where we attend the school in our neighborhood and I can actually get to know the families around us, and their kids. We have met several wonderful couples and started to trade our kids for playdates, and we talk every morning and afternoon when we walk to the school. The strange thing is, though these other couples are our age or older, all of them have a kindergartner as their eldest. This is one reason why we had no idea so many families with kids lived around us, since they had their child/ren playing in the backyard until now that school has started. So we are on the younger end, but have twice as many kids, and our eldest is twice as old! I had no idea having Alex at 25 would make me a young mom.
Since we have four and Alex is 9, and since we live literally right across the street from the school, I’ve been granting the older three a little more freedom as we fell into the rhythm of school. They walk home together and I meet them at the corner, they walk ahead of me with their friends to school, etc. But I have been getting some friendly judgment for that from these other parents who still walk their kindergartners all the way back and forth each day. I guess I am more of a “free range” parent than I thought.
I’m not gonna lie, dropping three kids off at school and walking home with only this little guy clutching my hand is pretty sweet.
