First Day of School- After

Well, we survived.
In fact, she's already on to day two.
Clio still loathes the camera, but Dave did manage to get these (slightly terrible) shots to capture the momentous occasion.


All the way to school yesterday, Clio had me repeat the story of MY first day- about 1,000 times. The way my mom was so worried; how I just walked away and said "bye mom." I thought she might be inspired by my 2 1/2 year old bravery, but no; she contradicted my story and told me that I gave my mom a kiss and stayed with her, and when it was time to get Clio out of the car, there were tears, there was wailing, there was reaching of the arms while calling "mommy, mommy, I want you!" The teacher's assistant just picked her up and carried her away.

And today might have been worse- same scene, just noisier, more impassioned.

I will admit, I don't love the drop-off procedure. Clio's classroom is in its own little building at the outer edge of the campus, and it has a circular drive. You pull in and wait in your car until the Teacher's Assitant, Debbie/ Mrs. Anderson, comes with a clipboard to have you sign your child in, and most parents I have observed just let her get their kid out of the car. It seems strange to me that the moment of transition would happen in the car, which I guess I think of as the child's and the family's personal space, instead of at the door of the classroom; Clio, too, thought it was a bad idea, and would not get out of the car for Debbie. In fact, she cowered in her car seat and her mouth turned down in that very sad pre-crying way. We had to make a deal: I would get her out of the car and give her a kiss, then she would go with Mrs. Anderson. Clio didn't really make good on her end of the deal, and once again was simply scooped up and carried off, with Mrs. Anderson asking, "where is that smile I saw all day yesterday?"

This is just one of those things about Clio: when she's in something, she is fully in it; it's just the transition that gets her. When the head teacher, Mrs. Walters, brought her back to the car at pick up yesterday, she told me that Clio did great, and I was not at all surprised. Maybe that morning transition will smooth out one of these days; maybe not.