holding my breath

A dear friend of mine, whose daughter was born three days after Sophie (but I budged and was supposed to let me friend have her long-awaited and overdue child first) very occasionally takes her daughter out of school for the day to have a "fun and free day". I loved this idea and thought that it made sense to allow a child, in their first year of school, to feel rewarded for their hard work and dedication to their new schedule. I also imagined that like a "mental health day" sometimes offered to employees, this free day for hard-working children could be a tradition carried through the life of their education. I imagined that this day spent with Mum (or Dad) doing something wonderful and fun would encourage their continued dedication.

Yesterday afternoon I decided that a day (today) spent with Soph would be just the thing that both her and I would enjoy (perhaps I was thinking that a day with Sophie would also take my mind off the daunting and exhausting task of looking for a job...).

We had finished dinner and were just about to go and put the girls in the bath when I said to Sophie "Lovey, I was thinking that maybe you could miss school tomorrow and we could have a day together doing something fun." She looked at me for a very long time, tilted her sweet little head to the side and said "Mama, I have school tomorrow and I don't want to miss a day because I learn a lot, but I'll do something with you on the weekend or next week because it's Spring Break".

My tail was immediately tucked between my legs and all I could say was "Of course. Well, I am proud of you for being so committed to school, Soph". The teachings of a five-year-old could never be more priceless.