THE LOCKER
My Gab, my beautiful sweet big boy, is now in high school. Or as he insists on correcting me, “middle school, Mom.” That’s what they call it here, but for this mamá gallina, it’s all the same thing, and honestly, it feels way too soon.
They all go to the same building, they ride the same bus. And let me pause here: it’s not even a yellow school bus, it’s the city bus. That revelation alone gave me another heart-attack moment.
Yes, I know he’s growing too fast. Back in Panama, he was in grade 5. Then we moved here, he jumped to grade 6, and just a few months later—boom—he’s in grade 7, in the “other school,” the “other building,” the high school one. See my point?
But that’s not really why I’m writing this.
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“How do you do it?”
People often ask me how I manage three kids all by myself. The math isn’t exactly fair: one parent versus three little humans with big needs.
In Panama, I had Sean and our amazing nanny, Lupe. Here, it’s just me and my relentless organization skills. Sometimes I might seem a little too much (but please, hear me out).
I have a calendar where everything goes—school, sports, appointments, meals, my own tasks. Everything has its moment and place. I like to keep the house tidy and organized, because for me, that’s peace of mind.
Sean used to call me Monica Geller. And while the kids don’t always love their tasks, I hold firm: habits matter. Kids may resist structure at times, but deep down, they crave it. And when they accomplish something, the satisfaction on their faces proves it’s worth it.
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The Locker Moment
Now back to high school. Gab has a locker, a schedule to follow, and he’s moving around the building on his own, finding his classes like a mini adult.
After just one week, he came home and said:
“Mom, let me tell you how I organize my locker.”
And he went on to describe it with pride: the PE clothes on the tall shelf, binder and pencil case at the bottom, the sweater hanging on the left side and the backpack on the right.
And right there, in that simple moment, my heart swelled. All my effort, all my structure, all the Monica Geller teasing, it was paying off.
Because kids are what you teach them. They learn by example. And the more you ask of them, the more they rise to it.
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That’s what “The Locker” reminded me: parenting isn’t about controlling every little detail, it’s about planting habits, values, and order in the small things, so when life gets big and overwhelming, they already have the tools to face it.
And as for me? I’ll keep my calendar, my lists, and my Monica Geller ways, because sometimes, even in grief and chaos, a little organization is the invisible glue that holds us all together.
