I was nervous about everything possible:
- Will he get lost?
- Will he cry if he gets hurt?
- Will the teachers know what to do to make him feel better?
- Will he be okay if his feelings get hurt?
- Will he be okay going to the restroom by himself?
- Will he eat? He's such a picky eater ...
- Will he be sociably adept?
- Will he let other kids boss him around?
- Will he push or kick or get frustrated like he does at home every once in a while?
- Will he cry for me when he realizes we haven't been around for hours?
- Will he know how to get to the car when school is over? After all, he's only 4!
I was so concerned that I asked Danny if he could call me when he picked up Lito from school the first day and put me on speaker phone so I could hear how his first day went. Lito has only ever been away from us for no more than 1-2 hours. Danny works nights and weekends and I work weekdays so we don't put the kids in daycare. In other words ... they are always with one of us and I was worried about how he would react being away from us for such a prolonged time!
So Danny called me before Lito got to the car ... he said he waited in line for over an hour! From his vantage point, he could see the system in action! For security reasons, each parent was given a car tag for car riders. They told us that whoever was picking up the child would need the car tag and then the teacher would ensure the right child is brought to each car. Danny noticed the teacher was the same one from Lito's class! He watched as the teacher arrived to each car and quickly took the tag in order to speak into a microphone which calls for the child (another teacher inside the building actually gets the child from their classroom). She worked very quickly and was being very efficient with her time.
When she arrived at Danny's car, she took a few minutes to chat with Danny. She said, "Oh, you're Daniel's father. Oh my goodness..."
As Danny was telling me this, my stomach sank ... I instantly thought, "What did Lito do!?!!?!!"
Then Danny continued imitating the teacher, "You are doing such a great job with him! He is so polite and sweet!"
Of course that totally made my day! She couldn't stop talking about what a great student he was already and that she could tell he would be a superstar in school! We were so proud to hear that! She must have taken a special liking to him because she personally went to the classroom to get him herself!
When Lito got into the car, Danny gave him the cell phone and let me talk to him. I have such a great husband! Lito sounded down and as though he had been crying so I asked him what was wrong. He almost whispered, "I want to go home"...
I guess being sweet and polite can be exhausting!
I'm still getting used to the idea of him being in school but after day 3, my favorite number, he is still coming home with rave reviews and "good boy" stickers! I can't believe he's growing up so quickly. Lito has such a special place in my life, I call him my heart because he's just an angel! Even when he acts up and gets disciplined, he comes back to apologize on his own and he sincerely means it, you can see it in his eyes. I love him soooo much! So PreK Jitters have turned into PreK Joy!
