In between Strudel’s very busy schedule of eating my makeup and being her general awesome Strudelness, she has had her first week at school! Ha ha, my chains, they slacken. Did you like how I didn’t mention that at all? I went into my archives and realized I wrote two seperate posts about Frannie’s first day, and that was before she had started, even. But number two kid…this one I forget to feed sometimes. HAW HAW HAW!
Strudel and I were met at school with much applause.
“Hey! Lookit you, SJ! You’re free now!” “Look at that big girl going into the class!” “I remember when she was in a sling!”
And then…the other moms waited, watching. All I saw was the back of her head as she disappeared into the class, which was unsurprising to me.
“That was easy,” one said crossly, as if my freedom was unearned. “Wait til tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I said.
Day Two.
“I go by myself?”
“Yep,” I said.
“You come see farm, Mom?”
“No, I can’t come in and see the farm. But your friends will be there.”
“Okay.”
“Wow! There she goes again!” said the moms. The other two-and-a-half year old was screaming and clinging to one of the assistants. “Hmm. Day three is they day they really lose it,” they said sagely.
Day Three.
“Bye, Mom! I see my friends!”
“Bye, honey! Use the potty!”
Silence. I began to wonder how much money was riding on my child’s impending breakdown.
Today, the new four-year-old was screaming and clinging to her father. The other two-and-a-half year old was nowhere to be seen. I got a kiss and a high five. She told the assistant, “I have muffin for snack.”
PHEEEEAR!
I take no credit for this. Between you and me, I actually would have designed a more sensitive child who spends less time trying to turn the cat inside out and throwing sippy cups at my head. But we play the hand we’re dealt.
Because of all the lame events this week, I have been a little discombobulated, but I am excited about settling in and working on all the stuffs I need to do. Now is the time for me to start work on the school’s website. I am hoping to get the basic shell, etc, done by the end of this month.
Also, I cannot stop listening to the newish Atmosphere EP, Sad Clown Bad Summer No. 9. Is so good. Too bad I didn’t pick it up in, you know, summer. But sometimes it’s nice to listen to a summer album in September. They are playing in B-Ham…on the same night as the first school auction meeting. They would probably notice if the chair wasn’t there, I suppose. BOOO!
StepLadder was like that about school from the very start, too. I think it is a sign of good parenting. She’s confident, she knows you will be there when she is finished, and she knows you think she can do it.
I am always fascinated by what the parents are doing when their kids pull this clingy shit – you can often see them promoting and enabling it. There’s a girl (age 7) who cries at ballet – she did it almost every time last year; she does it this year, when her Mom drops her off. When Dad brings her, she goes straight to play with the other kids waiting for class to start, and when Dad says “Bye,” she’s all, “Whatever.”
Damn, double damn, and damn you some more!
1. Three days a week I have to use crowbar to get Mini herded to pre-school, contrary to a rainbow of protest fruit flavors.
2. Strudel speaks in the first person, rather than third-person, which often also happens to be somebody else, usually male.
ARGH.
My son was so nonchalant as he strolled off down the drive of the school. ‘Sure you don’t want me to walk you to your classroom?’
‘Yep, I’m fine, see you later.’
‘Can I have a kiss goodbye’, I whimpered.
*sigh* ‘OK’ *kiss* ‘Bye.’
Totally!