First Day of School

Ariel started daycare yesterday. However, as yesterday was just an orientation, whereby I could be with her the entire time, she did fairly well, except for some crying here and there. Today, I decided to leave her in her daycare for 2 hours, as that's usually where the real test is. Needless to say, she was crying majority of the time, I believe, and in accordance to what the teacher says. But thankfully, there's some good things in the midst of it all.

Change is always difficult. Frankly, i'd think with children attending school for the first time, it's usually the parents who find it harder to adapt. I, for one, was really stressed out. Having been a SAHM since Ariel was born, life is rather predictable. Everything pertaining to Ariel is always under my control, coz I'm the MOM! However, going to daycare is a whole new experience, not only for Ariel, but for me as well, definitely!

One of the things that stressed me out is essentially having to pack lunch for Ariel to bring to school. Over here, most daycares prefer parents to bring their own food for the child, for reasons ranging from children being picky eaters at this stage, to hygiene issues. A multitude of questions thus ran through my head: What am I going to pack? What if the food turns bad? Do they have a microwave oven? Ariel is not used to cold foods at all, so will the teacher help to heat up her food? Will they feed her? etc.

Worry worry worry - guess that's practically what a mom does. I'm not so worried about whether she'll make friends, whether she'll keep crying, etc. but am really worried about her eating/drinking and other hygiene problems. In daycare, one also can't expect teachers to maintain absolute cleanliness, such as constant washing of hands, keep toys absolutely clean etc. At home, I wash Ariel's hands many times a day. I wash them even after she plays with non-toxic crayons. But in school I guess we can't expect teachers to do the same, especially when they have 4 kids to take care of. It would thus, be our own responsibility to build up her immune system.

At the end of the day, i'd think sending children to school early is a good thing to do. When I see the other kids in school, they are really independent. They can eat on their own, make friends, learn to bring the bowls to the sink, and to wash their hands on their own. Children need to grow up, and these life skills are really essential as it's the first step towards independence.

As for my girl, I believe she'll enjoy school. When I picked her up today, she was quick to tell me all about the new things she find in school - from the Pooh Bear poster on the walls, to the fish on the bouncer, to the books on the bookshelf in the snack room. Although she refused to eat her snacks (which is expected), I guess she really used the snack-time to explore all the toys in the snack room. I was also relieved to hear that she allowed the teacher to change her diapers, which in a way, represents that trust is being built.

I'm glad, and I'm certainly looking forward to the day when she would greet her teachers with a big smile and wave 'bye bye' to me. On that day, however, I wonder if I'll miss her ;)