school

Chrissie Swan's emotional back to school selfie is all parents sending off their youngest.

Nova radio presenter and mum of three, Chrissie Swan, 45, was every parent who dropped their youngest child to school for their first day of term this morning; a mix of pride with a lot of bittersweet emotion.

“Just dropped my 3rd and last child, my cherished Peg, at school for her first day,” Swan told her 195, 000 Instagram followers, under a photo of her looking distraught.

Mamamia presents, Things Mums Never Say. Post continues after.

“It seems I’m one of those really *together* Mums who has no problem at all dropping their kid to school woohoooo go me!”, she continued.

“I’m totally fine yeah!”, she added with an eyeroll emoji, making it clear that she was, in fact, feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the milestone event.

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Swan then explained that she had taken the selfie while hiding in a school toilet stall, “sitting on a tiny baby toilet.”

“I just will really miss her, that’s all,” she wrote, reflecting how most parents are feeling this morning as school begins for the year.

“If this is you too – know you’re not alone,” Swan concluded.

The post has been liked almost 13,000 times, and the comments section quickly became filled with parents who could empathise.

“Oh this was me 25 years ago,” one parent wrote. “I remember vividly the pain I felt inside. I also remember it getting easier but at the time that’s no consolation. It’s ok to experience such raw sadness .. having it together is over rated!”

Another said, “Feeling that feeling! Hoping [you’re] ok. Back 12 years ago when I dropped my son off to kindergarten. I thought I’ve lost my babycinno friend.”

One commenters jokingly suggested Swan “just have one more”, but others gave more poignant advice, acknowledging the gravity of the last of the first goodbyes.

“It’s hard,” wrote one mum. “It’s that thing they call independence that crushes us because they don’t need us that much anymore.”

Have you had the same experience? Tell us about it in the comments below.