Flying Mommy

As I have decided to spend the weekend in England in a wedding of a good friend, I has spent the weekend separated from Jonathan. Although my husband and I did once spend a weekend in a hotel and left Jonathan at my parents, I have never been so far away from him for so long, three days and nights!

A mother has always to worry about her children's welfare and to feel guilty about not giving them enough, regardless of reality.
As my planned trip to England grew nearer, I began to feel more and more guilty about leaving Jonathan behind for three days and nights! Regardless of my husbands ability to care for the boy, I felt guilty of abandoning him. It went into my deepest unconsciousness. I dreamt that the plane will crash and I” will die and never come back to my con again! I am glad to say that both I and my relationship with my son have survived the trip!

On the day of the flight, on the plane itself, I cried as we took off! And yet, absence makes the heart fonder but also forgetful, by the time I arrived at the hotel in the UK 12 hours, a flight, a bus and a train later I was as happy as can be to have finally arrived at my destination. I naturally called home to allow Jonathan to hear my voice on the phone (he converses so well, jabbering into the receiver, its just so sweet...) but I no longer felt so bad about taking a weekend off!

When ever I called, y husband would put me on loudspeaker and call to Jonathan to come to talk to mommy, but somehow his DVD playing was more important...

During the weekend itself I was keen to lay and adopt any toddler who came my way. I made great friends with little Hanna at the wedding ceremony, courted the sweet Angie all day (lunch and evening party) until she obliged to toss a ball with me at 23:00, and held the 4 week old Inness in my arms so his mommy could go and dance a bit. The next morning I spent courting cute red haired Felix, who is almost as old as my Jonathan and I flew him in my arms. By now the bride and groom and all other guests had gotten used to me being found with a toddler in my arms!
It turned out I was known by reputation o all the guests, the minute I mentioned that I was from Israel, everyone would react the same way...”ahhhh – we were told about you” (the bride, a good friend was obviously very enthusiastic about my coming all this way...). It turns out I traveled some 2000 miles to get to the wedding and was the person who had traveled the most distance, but two who has come from the USA and one who came from Indonesia. Third place! Not too bad...

After three nights apart I returned at 5 o'clock in the morning and almost at once Jonathan woke up – sensing something was different. I came to his room to offer a night bottle, as always, but I think seeing me caused too much excitement and he could not fall asleep again and wanted that I come to his room. Although he was too tired and sleepy to shoe happiness he could not sleep again. Then I finally dressed him for kindergarten and he cried so much all the way there, It was as if he understood that I would now again be gone for a long period, and he feared I would once again disappear...(or maybe he did not recognize who the woman driving to kindergarten is?? I prefer the first explanation and I think Jonathan is old enough to remember me even if I have been gone for three days).

I made special point of sitting a whole hour in the kindergarten with him in the morning and of picking him up myself from kindergarten on this first day back. I wanted him to be reassured that mommy is back, and that she is back to stay.

By the next day it seems he has stabilized back into our routine as far as waking hours are concerned and going to kindergarten. The trip is forgotten and my son is as happy as ever to see mommy when she comes home from work! All is well again.