I cycle my daughter to school. I always have. It’s much easier than dealing with the line-up of cars in the morning, plus it’s fun. Throughout kindergarden, she didn’t even think about it. But things are different now, she started big girl school…
On the first day, I realised that I was the only parent on a bicycle – and being the only one certainly makes you feel different. I’ll be honest, something about being at a big school – I started to reconnect with those old feelings of just wanting to fit in. Which is funny, because now I’m so drawn to people who are doing things differently. And then my daughter said this to me:
“Mom, I think I feel weird for being on the bicycle”
I felt a lot at that moment. Proud of her for being able to vocalize her feelings. Sad for her that she’s already started this so young. Frustrated that I was the cause of her weirdness. Mostly I understood that this is only the beginning. Being different is not always easy. But living a life of frustration for not being true to yourself – is much harder.
I think it’s incredibly cool to make the choice to create a life you love – rather than just let life happen to you. If that means growing tomatoes instead of roses, cycling to work or standing outside your condo for an hour, photographing yourself holding a glass of water (true story) – then, do it! Don’t let anyone stop you from experiencing your version of life. Even if you do get a few odd looks here and there…
I hope that she figures this out sooner than I did, I was certainly a late bloomer.
Are any of you dealing with this too? I’d love to know how you handle it!
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