letter from the editor
Workingmother.com| August/September 2019 5
Meredith Bodgas
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]CO
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Getting
Schooled
We’ve partnered
with Gugu Guru and
Kidbox on the fi rst
registry for professional moms!
Launching on August 6,
workingmotherregistry.com will
feature incredible products and
services to ease a new mom’s
transition back to work and
promote balance once
she’s there.You won’t catch me tearfully lamenting, “My baby is going to kindergarten!”
Of course he is. He’s 5. This was always the plan. Plus, Jeremy and I have
been spending our weekdays apart from each other since he was 12 weeks
old. I won’t be sobbing behind the schoolyard gates that fi rst day over my
child’s continued growth. And he’s had kids and teachers come and go in his
daycare, so being surrounded by new people won’t faze him. Plus, he’s visited
his elementary school for orientation and every time my husband and I have
voted. In short, this shouldn’t be a rough transition for either of us.
But will it be?
As tricky and costly as having two children in daycare is, it’s a winning
arrangement for working moms, compared with real school. Our center is
open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every single weekday, save only the most widely
celebrated holidays and the occasional snow day. Homework demands are
minimal—one worksheet a week to practice writing, counting and the like.
And all of the scary things parents of older kids unfortunately and unfairly
have to worry about—bullying, sexting and (I’m shaking my head as I type
this) gun violence—are (mostly) non-issues with the littles.
Now Jeremy won’t be sharing a building with babies; he’ll be in the same place as
12-year-olds. I’ll have to pick him up by 6 p.m. every day—if we’re lucky enough to get
into the after-care program. We’ll have to research summer camps the summer
before (so, now). And that weekly worksheet will multiply—and cover multiplication!
I haven’t yet figured out how to make my regular train home from the city pull in
earlier than its 6:03 p.m. arrival time, but at least I have homework help from
veteran parents. Check out page 54 for time-
saving and sanity-preserving advice for kids to
get schoolwork done quickly and well—whether
or not you’re home with them while they do it.
We’ve also grilled busy parents on how they’ve
successfully improved cafeteria lunches.
Nutritional standards are being relaxed as
concerns over ultraprocessed foods are growing;
if Jeremy’s school lunch is more of a Happy Meal
than a healthy one, I’ll try the recommendations
on page 55. Less dire but still on my mind: dress-
ing that kid on the right in outfi ts other than
worn-out T-shirts and sweats (Jeremy only likes
“soft pants”). On page 18, we have the real deal
on four kids’-clothing-by-mail services, tested by
working moms like you.
I hope this issue makes you feel more prepared
for the coming school year, whether it’s your child’s
fi rst or last (congrats!). And if you know of a way to
speed up commuter rails, my email is below.“This
shouldn’t
be a rough
transition
for either of
us. But will
it be?”
My little
pre-K graduate,
Jeremy, happily
clutching his
fake diploma.