It has happened. Yes, alert the media. My baby started Kindergarten. And yes, her mother embarrassed her on her first day. Yes, I followed her to daycare with camera in one had and video recorder in the other. Like a stellar reporter I was on assignment to do the Hannah documentary.
Naturally, she just tried to ignore me and responses to my questions were met with short responses.
Mommy: Are you nervous?
Hannah: Whatever?
Mommy: Hannah are you excited?
Hannah: (no response just eyes rolling)
Mommy: Hannah tell everyone what today is.
Hannah: Just kindergarten. (using her I'm way to cool for this voice).
I waved to her watching her walk down the hallway with her new class and new teacher. I chatted amiably with the daycare teacher who had chaperoned her from the daycare to the kindergarten school. (I let Hannah go to school on the bus from daycare like she will normally, to avoid confusion and I followed in my car.). I then went into my car. Rewound the video and watched it again with feelings of great sadness that my baby is growing up.
I picked her up from daycare ready to revel in stories of her first big day at real school. Again, she's far to cool for that.
Mommy: How was your first day of Kindergarten?
Hannah: Okay.
Mommy: What did you do?
Hannah: Nothing.
Mommy: Oh come on, you had to do something.
Hannah: We had chocolate milk. They don't have any snack. That's not fair.
Mommy: We only had white milk when I went to school and one graham cracker, you aren't missing much.
Hannah: Yuck.
Mommy: So you only had snack???
Hannah: No we learned where the milk money and our stuff goes.
Mommy: (who is really disappointed) Anything else?
Hannah: No, not really. Did you know they don't take naps at daycare either?
Mommy: But, you never take a nap on the weekends.
Hannah: Yeah but school makes me tired.
All that milk drinking must have been exhausting. LOL. Oh well, maybe next week.
On a separate note, conformity is alive and well and still hanging out in public schools. As you see, Hannah was wearing a cute little dress. Hannah loathes jeans. She is girlie girl supreme and would much rather wear a dress or skirt any day for any occasion.
As we prepared for bed after her first most exciting day, I began to ask her what she wanted to wear tomorrow. I showed her the cute Gymboree skirt she has that is all pretty colors and the new orange t-shirt I got to go with it. I showed her the pretty Oilily skirt I got in Chicago for her and the pretty white floral tank that she has that matches it perfectly. I showed her the pink dress, the green dress, the blue dress. After much consideration, she says, "I want to wear jeans."
"WHAT?!?" I'm flabbergasted. A lemming already and not even 6 years old. Yikes.
Calmly I ask. "Did most of the kids wear jeans today?"
"Yea or shorts." she says sounding a tad disappointed.
So, I had a long talk to her about individuality and being herself and not following the crowd and being a leader, not a follower. I explained to her that if she likes wearing dresses, then she should do what she likes. She will be amazed to find out that other girls will see her dressed up and want to dress up too. She picked the green dress. And excitedly related that on her second day of school two other girls wore dresses.
I can hardly wait for junior high. YIKES.
