I am the last person in the pickup line almost every day. Sometimes I am next to last, but that’s rare.

I used to be at the front of the line thinking that made me a better mom. LOL. It doesn’t. (Why do we think things like this?) My kid would rather spend time at school than with me most days anyway.

So now instead of racing against the clock each afternoon, I’ll swing through a drive thru for a milkshake that I can drink in peace. Or I’ll sit on my couch with a book for an extra ten minutes. Because you know what, I deserve it.

First or last in line to pick up my kid doesn’t matter. The showing up matters.

My kid knows I love him. Me being there waiting as soon as the door opens doesn’t prove it anymore than me wheeling in at the last minute does. The mom competition is irrelevant.

Because guess what? I like being last.

Taking an extra 10 minutes for myself, yet still showing up, is better than being first.

This post was originally published on the author's Facebook.