49 Days

That's how long my daughter has before her very first day of school. That's also how long her mama has her all to herself. After September 9th, E will spend the majority of her waking hours being influenced by people other than her parents. They will teach her new things, they will be authority figures and disciplinarians, they will be new friends, and there will no doubt be a bad influence here and there. But let's be honest, mama and dada aren't always the best influences either.

For the next 49 days, I'm going to give my daughter my best stuff. We're going to do fun things, and we're going to learn a few things too. I'm going to try to send her off to school with as many tools as I can think of, from successfully putting her own underwear back on to learning how to get the teacher's attention politely, and that sharing food will always score points.

I'm going to take her to lots of cool places, like the cat sanctuary at Parliament Hill and High Tea at Chateau Laurier.

I'm going to be resolutely patient, endlessly cheerful and downright enthusiastic about anything she might want me to be a part of, including my all-time nemesis: Moon Dough. I hate that stuff.

I think she understands what is going to happen. She continually reminds me that she's starting school in September. In fact, she has started making up names of new schools she would like to start in July and June, including the prestigious-sounding Mozzarella School. I hope we don't have to pay International Student fees for that one. She says things like "When I go to school, the teachers will teach me how to do things", and "If I need help getting on the toilet I can ask a teacher and she will help me" that boost my confidence that she knows that I won't be around. I think she'll be just fine, and I even think she'll love the crap out of school. What I'm most apprehensive about is how I'll manage to let her walk into that classroom without me, and how I'll ever feel like the time I spend with her is enough after these 49 days are over.

I'm almost hoping she gets rid of her naps this summer so I can squeeze in a little more time. I said almost. Great, now I jinxed it.