I Have Kids That Stress Teachers Out, so I Want to Be the Least Stressful Parent

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

I was a preschool teacher before I had kids and I used to judge parents hardcore.

I’d judge them when they forgot to bring extra diapers or clothes. I judged them when they didn’t read things we’d posted. I’d judge them if they gave their kid treats for breakfast. All sorts of things.

I secretly judged parents who got divorced when their kids’ were super young. Life sure taught me a lesson when I got divorced when my youngest was just a few weeks old.

Then I became a parent and I understood.

When my youngest was in the same toddler classroom I used to work in, they sent out a reminder email to all the parents to please mark what days you’ll be on vacation on the calendar outside the classroom. I had not even noticed the calendar!

My kiddos are both autistic and not always the easiest students to teach. Fun and lovable, yes of course. But as a former teacher I also know they might be the student that keeps their teacher up at night, trying to figure out what will work for them.

I don’t want to add to that stress by also being the parent who forgets things.

And before having kids I used to be a very dependable person. I did what I said I was going to do and I was on time.

Often I still am that person, but not all the time.

There are so many things that schools expect parents to do!

And my kids are so distracting!

On top of that I am also the parent who is advocating for their kids. My kids who need different things than a lot of the other kids in their classes.

Both my kids’ schools have parent nights where we meet with the teachers. I’m much better at sitting in a circle and listening than my kids are. (At least I have that going for me!)

My older kid’s school is very into crafts including things like sewing. He does not do well in handwork class. During one of the parent meetings they had us make lanyards for a special event and his teacher got to see first-hand why my kid is not good at handwork. Cross-stitch is the most handworky I get.

In my kids’ defense I also don’t love sitting still, so they probably got that from me too.