• Home
  • About

The Mom Hour

Happier motherhood starts here.

  • Popular Episodes
  • Complete Archives
  • Ages & Stages
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • Preschoolers
    • Big Kids
    • Tweens & Teens

in Blog on September 19, 2021 by Emily Roark

Does Letting Go Get Easier?

I remember my oldest daughter’s first day of preschool like it was yesterday. After being my little buddy for nearly four years, suddenly I was expected to drop her off at school with strangers, no longer knowing what she was doing every moment of the day. In hindsight, I realize how minuscule preschool’s two-and-a-half-hour day is compared to the hours I spent at home with her, but I panicked and wished I would’ve been more prepared. Maybe I should’ve left her with a babysitter more often, or maybe this adjustment would’ve been easier if we’d spent more time apart when she was younger. 

I had a million different worries running through my head, and the only way to settle those worries was to do the scary thing and send her to school. Would she make friends? Would she be brave enough to raise her hand and ask to go to the bathroom? Would she be able to navigate the playground equipment without me? Would she have fun?

On that first day of preschool, I dropped her off at the door, and she ran in and didn’t look back. She was so happy, but I was emotional. I managed to make it to my car before the tears started flowing. I was excited for her, but sad that life as we knew it was changing. Ready or not, we were entering the school years. I had to let her go.

A lot of things happened between that first day of preschool and the next time I had to let my children go. A global pandemic cut that year of preschool short, and I found myself at home with three young kids for a year and a half. I knew it’d feel like starting over when it was time to go back to school. Sure enough, when we emerged from our bubble to send my oldest back to school–this time, to kindergarten–I panicked again. Does letting go ever get easier?

I answered my own question when my middle child’s first day of preschool arrived. Just a few days after his big sister started kindergarten, it was my son’s turn to go to school for the first time. While I had some of the same worries that I had when my oldest was starting preschool, I also had a different sense of calm that I didn’t feel the first time. I knew he’d only be there a few hours a day. I knew he had an extra change of clothes if he didn’t make it to the bathroom on time. I knew his teachers would watch him carefully on the playground equipment. I knew that he’d have fun, but even in the rare event that he hated it, I knew I could advocate for him. 

No one ever promised that motherhood would be easy, especially when it comes to letting our babies become their own people. The only way for me to learn that letting go gets easier, is to do exactly that; I had to let her go. When it is time for my son to start kindergarten, and my youngest daughter to start preschool, I hope I’ll have had enough time in this school mom world to not be quite as panicked. Until then, one day at a time.

Emily Roark | @emilyeroark

Emily is a stay-at home/work-from-home mom living in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and three young kids. When she’s not filling milk cups or sweeping up Cheerios off of the floor, she works as a freelance editor. During her alone time, she enjoys working out, baking, and binging her favorite TV shows.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: back to school, preschoolers

About Emily Roark

Emily is a stay-at home/work-from-home mom living in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and three young kids. When she’s not filling milk cups or sweeping up Cheerios off of the floor, she works as a freelance editor. During her alone time, she enjoys working out, baking, and binging her favorite TV shows.

« My Daughter’s Future Memories
Envisioning Your Week Of Ideal Meals: Episode 331 »

Listen + Subscribe

Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Subscribe on Spotify
Subscribe on Amazon Music

save 10% on our fave calendar

Save 10% with code THEMOMHOUR at TheEssentialCalendar.com!

buy our book

click on the image above to pre-order The Mother's Gratitude Journal: An Easy Guide to Capturing Everyday Joys and Milestone Moments

Search

The “Surfboard Kid”

the story behind the "surfboard kid"

Click photo to read the full story behind Meagan's viral "bad parenting" moment...

as seen on

buy our books

The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read:
An How We Let Our Kids Go & Embrace What’s Next
by Meagan Francis

The Mother’s Gratitude Journal:
An Easy Guide to Capturing Everyday Joys
and Milestone Moments
by Meagan Francis and Sarah Powers

looking for something?

find us elsewhere

meaganfrancis.substack.com

sarahjanepowers.substack.com

midlifeladyleisurepursuits.substack.com

We'll leave you with this today, friends. It reall We'll leave you with this today, friends. It really is, for the most part, all gonna be okay. And when it isn't, remember that you're not alone.

💛 Meagan & Sarah
After more than a decade and over 800 hours of con After more than a decade and over 800 hours of conversation, connection, and community, The Mom Hour comes to a close in this final episode. Join Meagan and Sarah as we reflect on what it has meant to share this space with you—our listeners, fellow moms, and, truly, our friends.

Whether you've been with us from the beginning or found us more recently, we hope this episode leaves you with inspiration to carry forward the spirit of The Mom Hour in your everyday life.

You’ve let us into your ears and your lives, and we are endlessly grateful. Thank you for making The Mom Hour what it’s been.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio.

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
Happy Saturday! 😎 It's time for our June spons Happy Saturday! 😎  It's time for our June sponsors roundup, where we remind you of our brand partners and special deals. ALL of our special promo codes and links can be found on the Deals & Offers page on our website. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to check it out.

Thank you for helping support the show by using our links + codes!

Check out our sponsors . . .

🛏️ @zlumberbedtools (15% off Zlumber Lock!)
🎵 @carnegiehall (fun music games & quizzes!)
🍋 @hiyahealth (50% off your 1st order!)
🪑 @wayfair (shop outdoor furniture online!)
👡 @vionicshoes (15% off your entire order!)
🎨 @minted (art, cards, decor & more!)
📚 @chatbooks (the easiest photo books ever!)
☑️ @todoistofficial (2 mo. free of Todoist Pro!)
📅 @theessentialcalendar (10% off calendars!)
It's a bittersweet week for your co-hosts as we bo It's a bittersweet week for your co-hosts as we both recorded our last-ever episode of The Mom Hour (yes, there were tears) AND launched a new project out into the world.

Midlife Lady Leisure Pursuits is not meant to replace, or extend, or even spin off or pivot from The Mom Hour. It's so different in all the ways, from the back-end tech to our intended audience to our goals to our time commitment. That said, it's the same two pals on the mic, and we're having a blast!

MLLP is available wherever you get your podcasts, and we have a Substack for extended show notes. Click this image at the link in our bio.
New episode! What would you like to accomplish be New episode!

What would you like to accomplish before your next milestone birthday? Today Meagan and Sarah share our personal “five before fifty” lists, giving ourselves the next few years to check off some aspirations both lofty and silly (think big travel goals, creative dreams, home improvements and outdoor adventures). Whether you're approaching 30, 40, 50, or just love a good life list, this episode will get you thinking—and maybe even writing your own!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode! Time is slippery—especially when y New episode!

Time is slippery—especially when you’re standing in midlife, looking both forward and back. Today Meagan and Sarah continue unpacking one of the most elusive and shape-shifting concepts we wrestle with: time. How do we imagine the future, how do we plan for it (tarot cards, anyone?), and how does our relationship to longterm planning and future-casting change in our forties? We explore the common traps we fall into when envisioning what’s next, the lessons that still haven’t quite landed, and how midlife has reshaped our goals, timelines, and even the way we dream.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode! After a decade of sharing the ups an New episode!

After a decade of sharing the ups and downs of motherhood, we're wrapping up The Mom Hour this month—and taking one final episode to update you on the kids who’ve grown up alongside this show. From 12 to 27, our eight kids have been a background-but-constant presence on the podcast, and today we'll share where they are now and how they're each thriving in their own way.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode! As kids grow up, it’s the littlest New episode!

As kids grow up, it’s the littlest reminders that catch us off guard—like discovering a pair of toddler socks or realizing nobody needs a kid’s menu. Join Meagan and Sarah as we share some of the small-but-significant signs that time is, as ever, marching on. It’s a conversation full of warmth, nostalgia, and gentle reminders to savor the stages as they come…and go.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
It's the weekend 🎉 and time for our May sponsor It's the weekend 🎉 and time for our May sponsors roundup, where we remind you of our brand partners and special deals. ALL of our special promo codes and links can be found on the Deals & Offers page on our website. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to check it out.

Thank you for helping support the show by using our links + codes!

Check out our new sponsors . . .
🛏️ @zlumberbedtools (15% off Zlumber Lock!)
👶 @sittercity (find high-quality childcare!)

And welcome back . . .
🎵 @carnegiehall (fun music games & quizzes!)
🍋 @hiyahealth (50% off your 1st order!)
🪑 @wayfair (shop outdoor furniture online!)
👡  @vionicshoes (15% off your entire order!)
🎨 @minted (art, cards, decor & more!)
📚 @chatbooks (the easiest photo books ever!)
☑️ @todoistofficial (2 mo. free of Todoist Pro!)
📅 @theessentialcalendar (10% off calendars!)
New episode! Honi asks how our friends are showin New episode!

Honi asks how our friends are showing up for us these days. Laura wonders if we ever get recognized in public (and if it's our faces or our voices that give us away!). Aspiring writer Samm is looking for advice on getting started with writing, Lisa wants to know what we’ll miss most about The Mom Hour, and Erica prompts some reflection on what we’re most proud of as moms. And Ann? She’s eager for the scoop on what’s next—listen to find out!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts

Copyright © 2025 · Life, Listened
Development by Cipher