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She is up too early. Daddy left for a work trip before she woke up. She doesn’t like the way her socks feel. She doesn’t want to eat breakfast. She is so hungry. Her shirt is wrong. She wants to “phone-time” daddy. He is on the train. The reception is bad, and Daddy keeps freezing. Her eggs are too hot. She is absolutely not going to school today. She gives me a look as if to say, “put that brush near my head, and you’ll regret it.” It isn’t even 7 a.m. yet. I peel her off me, gratefully hand her over as I mouth “good luck” over my shoulder, and hurry up the hill to the Lower School car line. It was L’s turn for a rough morning, but honestly, we have all had them. Those tears, that handoff, reminded me of a phrase we adopted at my last school… “handle with care.” 

Some days are difficult. It doesn’t just happen to four-year-olds. My 9-year-old is over-tired, forgot he had homework due, or was yelled at by his big sister for something. 11-year-olds are over-tired, are nervous about seeing a friend they fought with the day before, or hate everything in their closet. 40-year-olds are over-tired, running late because of their children, or hate every single thing in their closet. Sometimes, mornings are difficult, and we need extra kindness, understanding, and patience. Hence the phrase… handle with care. 

Our big kids don’t want to hear why their mornings are going badly, repeated to their teachers. Our little kids won’t stop crying long enough for you to get it out. Sometimes, we run late and don’t have time to rehash the events. It is a car line, and there is a line. Perhaps, most importantly, it is sometimes no one else’s business. In any of these cases, simply say as your child exits the car, “Handle with care.” And we will. We will let their teacher know. We will give extra care. We will check in on them and let you know how they are doing. This offer doesn’t just extend to your child; it is also for you. We, parents, we are also humans. We are so busy giving care we often forget that sometimes, we need it. It is okay for us all to wave the white flag when needed and say, “Handle with care.”

~Dr. Wagner