The way I see it, there are two types of moms on the first day of school: Those who are devastated that summer has somehow come to an end, and those who who are jumping for joy as the school bus drives away with their children inside.
I think it’s safe to say mom of five, Keshia Gardner, falls into the latter group.
Following a common family tradition, Gardner’s kids posed for pictures before the first day of school. Except there was a twist for this particular photo session. Her sullen children are understandably bummed about back-to-school. But Mom? She’s leaping into the air with a look of pure, maniacal joy on her face.
The Scottsboro, Alabama, mom posted two of the photos on her Facebook page last week. She captioned them as such: “Happy 1st day of school kids. I’m gonna miss y’all. Please help me share this with other parents that need a good laugh.”
And share they did. So far, Gardner’s post has attracted more than 160,000 likes/interactions and over 255,000 shares. Check it out.
“We do them every year,” Gardner told FOX 13 News. “My husband takes them and he’s a plumber. We just do them really quickly before we leave for school. For some reason, this one decided to go viral.”
My oldest will be starting kindergarten in just a couple of weeks, and I absolutely plan on taking a first-day-of-school photo of him proudly wearing his backpack. And then another of him climbing the steps onto the bus. And another of the bus pulling away in slow motion. And then a final photo of my snot-nosed, tear-moistened face when it’s all over. You know, just to get the full effect.
Drama aside, I do appreciate the humor of this mom’s photo. Once I’m finally accustomed to this whole “my babies are old enough to go to school” thing, I might eventually cross over to the “THANK GOD SUMMER IS OVER” squad. For now, though, I’m getting a bit misty-eyed just thinking about my little boy’s first day.
Featured screenshot via Facebook/Keshia Gardner
What kind of mom are you on the first day of school?
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