Some Sweet Sentiments

This was a conversation I had with one of my students today: Student: Mrs. Pinsky, I have been debating on whether I should tell you this or not. Me: What is it? Student: Well, if you have kids they should feel lucky, because you're gonna be a good mom. I told her that her comment was one of the nicest I've received in a long time. Because I'm neurotic and paranoid, I often wonder what kind of a mom I'm going to be someday. I'd like to think that teaching has given me some of the tools I'll need to be successful, but I also know it's a whole other ball of wax when it comes to your own kids. Sometimes I think that my perfectionism will cause me to expect perfection from my own kids. Sometimes I think I'll nag them to death, because let's face it, I'm kind of a nag. Sometimes I think that there is no possible way I will be able to deal with children all day, and then go home and deal with children all night. Those are just some of the thoughts that float around in my worrisome brain. Comments like the one my student gave me today put me somewhat at ease. The students who said this is no angel. She has been disciplined by me many times this year. (So she could've been saying this to suck up.) But I'm going to believe that this came from an honest place, and that's why I think it's so meaningful. Even though I've had to give her some of my "tough love", she still recognizes that it comes out of the fact that I want her to be a successful student and a better person. Maybe when I have kids, they'll be able to understand that my nagging/perfectionistic/trampled nerve tendencies will be coming from a good place, too!