Daycare Family BBQ and how I'm becoming my mother

At the suggestion of one of my daycare mom's (a conversation in passing) I decided to have a BBQ for my daycare families. One last hurrah, if you will. So I planned and invited and cleaned and prepared.


And I was so very unprepared.


Two of my mom's got together and bought me a beautiful sterling silver necklace with the kids names engraved on them. They also wrote me letters telling me how thankful they were to have me as their daycare provider for the last year and how much they'll miss me.


My other daycare mom bought me a mug with one of my favourite quotes on it "Be the change you wish to see in the world" (Gandhi)
She also wrote me a lovely letter and it meant a lot since I've become especially attached to her daughter. She's been in my care for 6 years. She's Mary's best friend and though I know that friendship will continue I know it will be a difficult adjustment for them both.

The BBQ was a lot of fun. It was nice to be social with these people rather than just provider/parent and I genuinely do hope to continue a friendship with them after I close. Not just for the kids but for me as well.

So the letters I received, they made me cry. The cake...one of the mom's had a cake specially made with my custom made daycare logo on it....made me cry. The gifts made me cry. I'm becoming my mom.

I used to laugh at my mom and she'd cry at tv shows. But as I get older I find myself doing the same. Just yesterday we went to the girls talent show at school. There was a little boy, I'm guessing kindergarten aged dressed up as Spiderman and he sang the entire Spiderman theme song. I got choked up because it was just so frigging cute. I don't know this kid, why am I crying?? I hear a song on the radio that I really really love, that triggers a memory, happy or sad and I get teary eyed. I'm a hot mess.

And I'd love to say it's just PMS but it's not. It's ALL THE TIME.

So all these years I said I was a cynic and a realist like my dad....and it turns out I'm just as much like my mom. Just don't tell her....it might make her cry.