As we get closer to the school year beginning, my eldest daughter will be entering Kindergarten. It’s an exciting time for her and me, but I feel this worry grow and grow inside me, to the point that I’ve found myself obsess over it: Will she do well? Will she make friends? Will she succeed academically? What if she doesn’t? What if she struggles? What if she doesn’t make friends?

The more I worry, the more I realize: I have no control. Instead of this calming me in the “Let It Be” sense, it freaks me out. I know moms out there understand the incredible sense of panic and worry that takes over you when you realize you have so little control over an aspect of your child’s life. It’s terrifying!

I’ve had control all summer over her life, making sure she eats the (usually?) right things, making sure learns right from wrong, making sure she works on her reading. It was exciting as we walked the aisles picking out her markers, picking out the folders and choosing the “right” colors, and picking out pencils for the first time.

But now I have to trust. Trust that I’ve done well, trust that I’ve raised her to be a friend, to put effort into everything she does, and trust that I’ve taught her to ask for help when she needs it. And, if we’re being honest, trust her not to pee her pants, because, despite her occasional ambivalence, peeing in your pants is gross, and it means more laundry – also gross.

But I think that’s really what we moms lack a lot of the time: trust in ourselves. Did we do well? Did we succeed? And while I can’t answer “yes” to those questions in every moment,I can confidently say “yes” to the important things. She knows how to be a friend. She knows to ask for help when she needs it, but to try her best in every thing she does. She knows right from wrong. So, yes, I trust her and that means I can trust myself.

So to you mamas out there, trust. Focus on how your child is as a person. Are they kind? Are they hard workers? If so, good job. You did a good job. Trust yourself.

And it doesn’t hurt to say a prayer. 😉