For many districts, school starts next week. There are countless children’s picture books available to help your child deal with the anxiety they may go through as they face their first day. I list just some at the end of this blog, but right now I’d like to introduce you to “What Will Mommy Do When I’m at School?” by Dolores Johnson.
Our main character is a little girl who is heading off to school tomorrow. She’s worried about her mother, because she’s never left her alone for a whole day before.
She wonders if her mother will miss her, and she hopes she won’t be scared. She and her mom definitely won’t have time in the mornings to make muffins together – she’ll have to hurry and eat cold cereal so she won’t be late.
They used to dance around the kitchen together and sing. Will her mom remember all the words without her there to prompt her? And they can’t pick up the living room while watching cartoons together, because she won’t be there. Will her mom be lonely?
You know, Mom’s never fixed her hair all by herself. Wonder if she knows how – she’s also never grocery shopped without help. And no more afternoon tea parties. Poor Mom.
Finally she decides to tell her dad how she’s feeling. Her dad assures her that Mom will be just fine, but she’s not totally convinced. Her mom knows how to do everything but how to get along without her.
But it turns out that she doesn’t have to worry about her mom at all. While she’s at school, her mom’s going to be going to work and having adventures of her own, and at night when they’re all together again, they’ll have so many wonderful new things to share with each other.
If you’re in a similar situation in your family, this book can help your child understand changes in your lifestyle and assure them that while things will be different, they will still be great.
(This book was published in 1990 by Macmillian Publishing Company and was illustrated by the author.)
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