OUR SON'S FIRST DAY OF DAYCARE
28/03/12 18:47
Thursday was Conor’s first day at daycare. I arrived with his diaper bag, his toys, and his baby bottles. And of course, Conor. Valerie had left earlier in the morning for her first day as a consultant so Conor and I were on our own. I handed Conor to the nice lady who couldn’t wait to take him. He easily went to her and when cradled comfortably in her arms, turned around and smiled broadly at me. I put his things in his locker that had his name on it, kissed him goodbye, turned around and walked out.
I got back in the car and continued my drive to work. I have so much to do at the office that I kept thinking of all the tasks when suddenly it hit me – I just dropped my son off at daycare. I suddenly felt sad. Not because he was with strangers while we worked, but because I realized he was growing up. And I’ve enjoyed having him as a little baby for these last 5 months. On the one hand, I’m looking forward to Conor growing up so we can do grown-up things together, but on the other hand, I like him just the way he is now. Right about then, a Boston cab driver cut me off. This was enough to snap me out of my funk and realize it’s just another step in the cycle of life. I flipped the cab driver off, turned up the radio, and drove the rest of the way in a typical Boston stressful posture.
When my wife and I picked Conor up at the end of the day, he was all smiles and was none worse for the wear. Valerie showed me he had received the first report card of his life. It read, “Conor did great his first day. He took four naps, listened to stories and played with a ball.” My wife started crying and I looked at my son and said, “Well son, maybe you’ll do a better job raising hell next time. But not bad for your first day. Let’s go toast a bottle." So he had his, and I had mine. Valerie just rolled her eyes.
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