Sweet Mom Moment

Payton and Jonah are bit by bit starting to claim more and more autonomy. Every day there's demands to ride the bus instead of being picked up by me. Jonah always greets me with a disappointed scowl and, "Why do I always have to be in parent pick up??!! I just want to go on the bus!! I'm getting on the bus right now!" And then he tries to slink off in the direction of the bus while we wait for Payton to meet us. Payton of course is much more gracious, she'd like to ride the bus, but she still cheerfully allows me to get her myself.
Since riding the bus is still yet to be debated and decided by me and Trav they now just want me to drop them off curbside at school in the mornings and let them walk to class on their own rather than have me park and walk them in. Payton promises to drop Jonah off and see him to his playground. I "let" them do this by giving kisses at the front of the school and then let them walk in on their own with me trailing behind where they can't see me. Let me explain why I seem like a mom who can't let go first:)
Jonah's first week of school he was tackled and thrown to the ground and climbed on top of by a boy who wanted a ball Jonah had. It was horrible, I had to peel the boy off my son with a, "hey buddy, we can't use our hands like that, let's use our words next time." Jonah was absolutely crushed and just crumpled in a heap of tears. It was so sad. I held it together for Jonah, told him it was ok, and he'd be all right. Then I broke down crying as I tried to explain all that happened in mumbled jibberish to Trav on the phone. He's got to love fielding these kind of calls from me at work!
Needless to say, I'm hesitant to leave Jonah on his own on the playground until I feel more confident that he can handle himself well. It's a crazy world out there in kindergarten! So I follow behind and watch unannounced from the corner of the playground. So here's my sweet mom moment; yesterday morning I watch Payton call for Jonah on the playground, find him, rub his back, offer some encouragement for his day, and then wave a big goodbye. I started crying again of course, this time happy tears (thank goodness for big sunglasses). I LOVE that she looked out for little bro, loved on him, and sent him off on his day much like I would've myself!

These are such defining mom moments for me, like when Jonah was four and ran and got my mom a gatorade out of our cupboard when she was sick to help her feel better, or when Davey was two and smiled at me so sweetly from the shopping cart at Trader Joe's and for the first time on his own said, "I wuv you mama". These are the memories that are so sweet to me, that always come back to encourage me, spur me on as a mom. To know that my kids are always growing, always evolving, that they are little works in progress that sometimes totally get it, is so gratifying! Yay for the times they get it!