Reality check for mommy

The summer might not yet be over but the schools’ summer holiday most certainly is. We are once again back to our weekly routines. Youngest daughter is now also in secondary school and the other night the school had an information evening at school for the 7th grade parents. After some presentations by various school leaders all the parents went to their daughters’ classrooms – yes, we have chosen a girls’ school for our daughters – to get to know their homeroom teachers and the other parents. In order to get the parents talking, the teachers presented a number of topics like ”do you encourage your daughter to make a healthy lunchbox for herself?”, ”have you taught your daughter to operate the laundry machine?” and ”does your daughter use public transportation to go to school?”. It seemed like all the mothers were encouraging their daughters to make healthy lunchboxes – except me. Don’t misunderstand me, I do not encourage my girls to make unhealthy lunchboxes or eat junk food. But I do not encourage my girls when it comes to making lunchboxes at all since I make the lunchboxes for them. I have not taught them to use the laundry machine as I prefer the machine to be full and therefore save electricity, water, money as well as the environment. A reasoning that is immediately overthrown by the fact that I drive my girls to and from school every day. 

             My very own bread - healthy, delicious and baked with love

”All the other girls seem to be doing a lot of things themselves. Do I spoil the girls too much?” I asked my husband. Admittedly, my husband is a very biased man. In his eyes, I am perfect and almost incapable of doing something wrong. ”You are a fantastic mother” he replied, ”but perhaps you should let the girls take a little more responsibility.” The girls don’t make their own breakfast, when they wake up they sit down at the dinner table were breakfast is promptly served. In my defense, I have come a long way here. A year ago, I served the girls breakfast in bed every morning on school days and two years ago, I served them breakfast in bed while singing a ”good morning” song that I made up myself. Sadly I had to stop with that lovely morning routine as the girls thought my song was ”lame” and my singing voice was ”off-key” and ”hurting their ears”.

Brekkie in bed: pancakes with fruit compote and whipped cream. Good morning!

I understand that I need to teach my daughters some more useful skills other than making their own beds and put bread in the toaster. It is with some sadness in my heart that I realise my daughters are no longer little girls depending on their mommy to save the day; they are young ladies preparing for a life as adults. And as I slowly prepare them for their lives as grown ups, I have plenty of time to prepare myself for the day they move away. I reckon my girls will do just fine, probably better than I will...