My baby started school today. No longer a toddler, she’s officially a preschooler.
I was not prepared. I had her clothes all laid out, my clothes all laid out, we left the house on time…but she’s been so excited about the idea of school that I expected her to run happily into the classroom and never look back. I would be free to go run errands without dealing with the carseat and have a couple of hours to relax, clean the house, knit…whatever. Instead, I had to peel her arms from around my legs and give her a firm push towards the blocks the teachers had put out for the kids to play with. And then I nearly lost it when I saw her bottom lip quivering and her eyes filling up with tears. I don’t think it helped that nearly half the kids in her class were already sobbing.
I barely made it out to the car before I completely lost it. They gave each parent a “first day survival kit” with a poem about how hard leaving is, and it contained a tissue, a Hershey’s kiss, and a tea bag.
You know what, though? She loved it! According to Carolyn (who apparently can recognize her name spelled out – who knew?) preschool was “really, really, really fun!” and she can’t wait to go back next week. I, on the other hand, haven’t quite recovered!