So we joked about how Sandy, our nanny, would cry on Sal’s first day of school. (She didn’t. At least, not in front of us. But she did drive out of her way to meet him @ the school before his class started…)
And laughed when the teachers were talking about how some parents just go across the street to Target and call every 10 minutes to check on how their kid is doing in class.
The whole time, thinking I wouldn’t be like that.
Yesterday was his first day of 3 hour class. The night before he didn’t empty his belly. The morning before he didn’t either. And so I was worried he was gonna have issues, with strangers, and they could be messy issues. And I thought it was gonna be okay…but the thought sat in my head…and sat…and sat.
So 1.5 hours into his first day of 3 hour class, I made my call into the school to talk about forcing my kid to goto the bathroom to avoid an emergency or accident.
Sign me up. Check me off. I’m one of those nutty parents now.
Of course, I had a cover story/question. Asking for the PO Box that tuition needs to be mailed to. But it was a pretty transparent cover story. The office manager was quite nice with my concerns, talking about how they force every kid to use the restroom and from their they gauge the kids’ needs. And she shared with me that her own 2nd grader already had an accident on his first day of 2nd grade.
How is that reassuring?!?
This is the same lady that during the new parent orientation said “my kid cried for the first 8 weeks” (and they were a student at this school. Then later, when talking to parents about how crying is normal said “it always goes away after the first week”. I didn’t want to get on anyone’s bad side, so I’m only sharing the contradiction here.
What they did not cover in orientation was setting expectations. As we’ve talked about school, one part of class for Sal is taking care of a plant. 4 inch plant, in a pot that doesn’t leak. He shopped with Cammy and got a nice plant. But we didn’t get the right pot.
Going to class on Monday, he’s all set, but as we’re a few blocks from home, asks me “Where’s my plant? Don’t I need a plant?” And I explained about the wrong pot situation, but that didn’t really register with him. All he could focus on was – school was starting, school requires a plant, and he’s got no plant. The dude was right and after I dropped him off, I bought the right type of pot from Osh, but that did little to relieve me of the guilt I was feeling by letting my son down on the first day of school…
Yup. Circle my name…I’m one of those nutty parents that are fun to make fun of.