First Day of Preschool

There are many things that one might feel on the day that one’s child goes to school for the first time.  I thought perhaps I would feel old, but I didn’t.  There was always the possibility that I would feel sadness and loss, but that certainly was not the case.  No, what I mostly felt was relief.  Well, that and overwhelming joy.  Simone and I were about to have three full hours to ourselves!  And it was right during Edward’s nap time!  And it was happening twice a week!  I still am not sure which family member was most excited about this new life development.

Ruby was excited for sure.  She had already been planning what she wanted to take to school in her backpack.  She wanted to take toys.  Only toys and lots of toys.  This was clearly a problem.  Also, she does not have a backpack.  We finally settled on a red canvas bag to pack for her and, after explaining the school’s policy on not bringing any toys there, agreed that she could bring her stuffed fox.  They do allow stuffed animals or blankets if the kids need them, so this seemed like a good compromise.

When we got to school, Ruby ran right in and took her coat off, ready for fun.  The teacher asked if she wanted to come wave to us out the window as we left, but Ruby had already heard rumors of clay being played with and was not interested in watching her boring old parents pull out of the driveway.  This was fine with us, as Simone and I were anxious to begin our new lives as normal human beings.

It was a wonderful morning for everyone.  Simone and I went to the store for cat food.  We filled out paperwork.  We surfed the internet.  Simone watched the video of the tree falling on me about 45 times.  And all of it was uninterrupted.  Edward slept peacefully in the other room and the house was actually quiet.  Actually it was a little too quiet.  Weird.

By the time 11:30 came around I was getting pretty excited to pick Ruby up and find out how her first day had gone.  As I pulled up to the school, a woman told me that her son and my daughter were now best friends.  How this woman knew who I was I have no idea.  I guess I’m probably just the “new guy” at school, but it was still odd.  I found Ruby on the playground swinging.  She seemed happy to see me, although not too happy.  Weird.

Her teacher told me that Ruby had had a great time, and was the best one at getting her snowsuit on.  Apparently Ruby had gotten hers on first and then helped other kids with theirs.  That made me a proud papa.  I asked Ruby what she had done at school, and she told me she didn’t remember.  I mentioned the clay, and she said, “Oh yeah, I played with clay.”  And anything else?  “Ummmm, I don’t remember.”  I asked about her new best friend and she told me that her favorite kid to play with was named Gunnar.  Whether or not that was the same kid whose mother I had spoken to earlier, I don’t know.  Weird.

Overall, I think it will take some getting used to for everyone except for Ruby, but it feel like a good step forward for the family.  Ruby didn’t seem to remember much about school, but she seemed to have enjoyed it very much.  And Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it very much as well.