"Befaneet"

Meet Bethany, our morning Nanny. Daniil and I hit the jackpot. Bethany lets herself in at 6:15AM, empties the dishwasher, feeds Frieda and Simon, puts on my tea water, and starts breakfast prep for my boy. By the time he and I wander downstairs around 6:35, Bethany's ready to roll with breakfast and trains and the long drive to the Sandwich Montessori School, and I'm ready to take off for a full day of work. How blessed I am to leave my boy in the arms of a caring, fun-loving and skilled young woman--who has fallen in love with Daniil. He asks and comments about her frequently in the evenings and over the weekends: "Where's Befaneet? Befaneet's driving... Befaneet's eating... Befaneet's sleeping."

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My return to work was a shocker. It's like feast or famine. For the past 12 weeks I've been with Daniil for 14 waking hours every day: marathon Mom. Now, on work days, I'm lucky if I see my son for three hours total: 30 minutes in the morning and two-plus hours in the evening before his 7:30PM bedtime. I sure wish I could create a more balanced scenario, but, alas, there's no part-time option for a middle-school principal. My dad reminds me that Daniil's world is expanding and that this is good and healthy. I appreciate this reassuring perspective, and it appears to be true. Daniil loves Bethany and her undivided attention each morning. And he simply adores his teacher Sarah who sings and dances with him, along with his new little friends in school, including a girl he reportedly likes both to kiss and to boss around: "Walk, Leila! No running, Leila!"