Be reminded that today’s assembly will be held at 2 p.m. in the assembly hall.
I glanced at the email alert from my son’s school early Thursday morning but failed to read through it, I assumed it was just a reminder for the usual Friday assembly.
Meanwhile, my son had been practising a poem with his classmates for the past two weeks and I had promised him like I always do on Fridays that I’d be there to watch him.
But this time, things didn’t go as planned.
By the time I opened the email later that day, around 3:30 p.m., I realised with a sinking feeling that his presentation wasn’t on Friday—it had in fact been that day, Thursday and I had missed it.
A flood of guilt rushed over me. I started thinking of a thousand ways to apologise and make it up to him. How would I explain to my son that I had missed something he’d been so excited about?
“Babes, did you know Seddie’s presentation was today? I’m not sure how I missed it“
I said to my husband, already feeling the weight of disappointment in my voice. My husband, my “Mr. Fixer,” as I like to call him, calmly responded on the other end of the line.
“Don’t worry, dear. I saw the email and made it just in time to see him present.”
At that moment, I felt a wave of relief and gratitude.
Life can be chaotic, especially when navigating the demands of parenting with everything else. We can’t always be everywhere or do everything perfectly. We can’t always be everywhere or do everything perfectly. But this experience reminded me of how important it is to appreciate the support systems we have, be it a partner, a friend, or family. Having someone to step in when we fall short can make all the difference.
More importantly, we need to give ourselves grace. We won’t always get it right, and that’s okay. Missing moments or making mistakes doesn’t make us any less capable or caring—it’s just part of the journey and a reminder of our fragility.
So, the next time you miss something, remember: it’s not a reflection of how much you care. We all stumble, we all fall short, what matters most is how we pick ourselves up and keep going.
