The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[PJinCali]

I’m so sorry you and the family had such a hard time today. My youngest turned 16 today but I can relate (he is the youngest of 4!) When I sent him to "real school" He and I had a ton of anxiety. He missed his siblings and Mom and Dad terribly. I gave him a picture of the family to keep with him at school and I started a story that was delivered in little pieces each day. I would type up the story and put it into his lunch. Each week would be a new 5 part story (the characters were usually related in some way). The whole class really got into reading or hearing the little story each day. This helped him make friends with the other kids and helped him want to read.

I cried after taking each one of them to kindergarten and then again as they graduated High School. Time really flies (I’m tearing up just thinking about it! )

Big Hugs to you!! Hope everyone is better tomorrow.

[GucciGoo]

So... how was he when he came home? I bet he ended up having a fun day after all!

[supermom]

My oldest 2 are close too, Lori. Jake and Max are only 12 months apart!! I picked him up and he decided he didn't want Starbucks. He said it was too hot outside. So, we went to Bahama Bucks. He had a mixed fruit cup and I had a diet limeade. Max was really happy to see Jake. It was funny. He ran up the walk way and yelled "JAKE===YOU ARE ALIVE!!!" And hugged him so hard that they both fell down. I think that my 15 year old little brother might have teased him a little last time they were at my parent's place. You know----told him how hard and how boring and how bad homework stinks. Imagine that---A 15 year old picking on a 5 year old. I will ask my mom about it tonite when she calls. But, after thinking about it long and hard today and still not understanding all of the drama, that is all I could come up with.

Lori----You are NOT a bad mother. I, too, was looking forward to it. I thought YES!!! I can take a nap, call a friend, go out to the pool and not get splashed, just enjoy me for a while. But, didn't quite turn out that way. Oh well. I think we will survive.

The only complaint Jake had was that "Everywhere I go, the shooey girls are following me. I think it is this shirt. It smells too nice and don't have no wrinkles. Please, stop washing my clothes."

That about sums it up. He wants to wear his lake clothes to school tomorrow. He says they are so yucky, no girl would ever want to follow him around unless she loved him as much as his mother.

[alohacate]

I'm so happy the day ended so nicely for you! Thank you for sharing this, when I pick up my son after work I'm going to hug him a little longer!

[MISSANNE]

I'm sorry you had such a bad time!

It will get easier. I have kids in 2cd and 6th grade. I just drop them off and wave now. Sometimes I don't even come to a complete stop.

I'm teasing! But it does get easier. I actually am happy for school to start because my daycare gets cut by more than 1/2.
It's probably different being a stay at home mom because you are with them more. I used to be before my divorce but now, when its school time, it is a relief for me. By the time we all get home we are pooped enought to just eat,showers, homework then bed.

[FORMOMMY]

Oh how I can relate!!! As all of us who are mother's can relate. When my 2 girls started school 2 years ago for the first time I wrote a note and shared it with all my close girlfriends. It seemed to be cathartic for me. I would like to share it with you all. It is long so feel free to skip this post; but I think is sums up how we all feel about letting go of the apron strings.

Isaiah 43
5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Five years ago last week, I became a mother for the first time. It doesn’t seem that long ago I was filling out mounds of paperwork, getting fingerprinted, and sitting in my living room convincing a stranger from family services that I would be a good mother. It can’t possibly be over 5 years since I came walking into a Sunday morning service being held in a school auditorium with the picture of a precious baby hanging from my neck. There is no way that 5 years ago I was in a hot, dark civil affairs building in Changsha, Hunan Province, China being handed an 11 pound, dark haired beauty dressed in a smelly yellow outfit. Through tears I looked upon this little almond-eyed darling that God had blessed me with and was in awe. She looked up at me, grabbed my blonde hair and never let go.

Three years ago last month, I became a mother for the second time. The same mounds of paperwork, fingerprinting and convincing went on for this little one as well. Didn’t I just do that? How can it be that long ago that we walked into the civil affairs building in Sanshui City, Guangdong Province, China and were presented with another Asian princess who was very round, very calm and very loving? Who, when you picked her up, just hung there with arms and legs jetting out not knowing just what to do with them. But once she experience hugging and learned how to hug back, she has never stopped.

As hard as it is to fathom, in a few weeks my little China dolls start school for the first time. How strange was it walking into Wal-Mart and putting school supplies in my cart. Didn’t I just stock up on diapers and baby formula last week? Don’t I need to pick up more baby wipes? Instead, I am looking at pencil boxes, rulers, crayons, glue and scissors. I am picking up size 4 and 5 school dresses and looking for just the right backpack. I used to get jars of baby food but now I need to get juice boxes and granola bars for snack time. When did all this happen? Where was I when my 6 month old and my 10 month old grew up?

Someone once told me to live in the moment, to relish each age, each milestone, and each experience because they grow up so fast. I listened to that advice and I am so happy that I did. I shall continue to enjoy each milestone and adventure that my girls go through. I will laugh at the situations they get themselves into and cry when their feelings are hurt for the first time. Because that person was right – they do grow up fast and I don’t want to miss a second of their precious experiences.

So now I must get myself ready to let the apron strings go just a little bit more. I will need to trust someone else to watch out for them six and half hours each day. Am I apprehensive? Am I sad? You bet! But I am not worried because I know that God loves them even more than I do; and He will take care of them and keep them safe. And when I come home from work each night, I will hear stories of the wonderful things they have learned and how much they love their teacher. I will hear tales of new friends and yucky boys (for now).

But I will always look at those two girls and see the tiny girl in the yellow outfit and the calm little baby with the flailing arms and legs and always remember that feeling the exact moment they looked into my eyes. No matter how old they get, they will always be my little Chinese miracles.

[Elizabeth]

Oh Michelle, that was a beautiful post! Thanks so much for sharing with us the love you have for your little China dolls! Now I need to work on relishing the age, milestones, and experiences of my handsome, 15 yo football playing, know it all, teenage son Let me tell you..its not easy.