Bad Mommy or Good Mommy?

One of those days where I'm torn between feeling successful and proud on one hand, and terribly delinquent on the other.

I missed out on an amazing breakfast with my girlfriends, because I had to work. I was up by 5:30 am to meet clients in Dortmund and walk them through the process of getting residency permits and work visas. On the one hand, it felt good to be productive and successful. It took some tenacity to bust through bureaucratic barriers to help my clients. After several "it can't be done" responses from civil servants, I got it done :)

But then I came home to find my 10-year old alone in the kitchen, cooking himself a late lunch. Instantly, I wished I had been there to greet him after school and cook for him. I regretted that he had to be so independent. Still, once I got home I had hours of calls, emails, and reports to finish, so I had too little time for him. Yet I was also pround that he could take care of himself, and he was even enjoying it.

They grow up too fast. Finding the balance between "babying" them (especially the last of the litter) and letting them spread their wings (my oldest is currently off in England) is so hard to do!