First day of school

Tuesday was the first day of school for Drama Queen and Storyteller. The night before we went to the "Back to school" night. This is where we meet the teachers and the kids get to scope out the school.

Well, Monday night was nothing but chaos. It wasn't even organized chaos. You walk through the doors of the school. No one greeted you. No one directed you to where classes rooms are. It was a free-for-all. Also that school is huge. There are tons of kids!

Finally, we fine the classes rooms for 1st grade. We fine Drama Queen's room. She has Mrs. Sims. Mrs. Sims looks like she must be in her early 50s. Her voice indicates that she must have smoked for a portion of her life. It's that raspy throat sound smokers develop. But she is delightful and tons of older kids are coming to greet her.

Then we go hunting for the Kindergarten rooms. After looking at all of the rooms we find Storyteller's room. Her teacher is in her early to mid-40s and is a mother of 3. She looks like the girl next-door. Straight, long, blond hair hangs down her back. Her name is Mrs. Trotter. She seems very pleasant.

On Tuesday morning we deliver our darlings to the school. Passionfruit decided to join us, too. We take Drama Queen to her class and give her a hug and a kiss good-bye. She runs to her desk and never looks back. Now we're off to Storyteller's room. She too goes without any hesitation. I leave the school feeling confident that all will go well.

Fast-forward to 3:00PM. I'm standing outside with a bunch of other parents. I don't realize that we can actually go in. It's now 3:20 kids are pouring out of the school. Soon the oldest kids in school are coming out. Drama Queen still hasn't appeared. I make my way in as I battle the traffic coming out. I feel like a Salmon swimming upstream battling a fierce current. I'm scanning all the little faces. As I get through the first set of doors I see Drama Queen standing by the second pair of doors bawling her eyes out! Now I'm terrified. Did some one hurt my baby? If so they better watch out! I race to DQ and scoop her up. I ask her what's wrong. It takes a while before DQ composes herself to tell me that she was afraid I wasn't going to come and get her.

Now I'm truly devastated. I caused her anguish! I'm the cause of the tears. I also suddenly realized that DQ was being a very, very good girl. I've always told the girls that they aren't to ever leave a building without me. DQ wasn't about to go out of the building without me! So I sit her down and apologize to her. I explained that there were tons of parents and grandparents outside. I thought we weren't allowed to go in. I explain to her that all of this is new to her and me. I told her we were both learning together and that it was going to take sometime to get a routine down.

By this time, I realize that the all day Kindergarten class still hasn't left the building. I take DQ to go find out what's happening with that class. Storyteller sees us and races out of the classroom. I told her she needed to go back and tell her teacher that I am here.

Then we head out of the building. Storyteller starts telling me that she is thirsty and hasn't had a drink all day. I find this hard to believe because they have a water fountain right there in the classroom. Anyway we have to go back to pick-up MI because she was still sleeping when I went to go get her earlier.

When we arrived at the lab Storyteller melts down big time. I try the hold out in the minivan. We're out there for 15, maybe 20 minutes. I'm getting hot and tired. I got worried that we all might end up sick if we stay out in the minivan even with the door open in 100+ weather. So I pick her up and cart her into the lab. She fights me tooth and nail. Again I put her in the hold and that lasts another 30 min. After along while Storyteller settles down. We move on to pick-up MI. Storyteller finds the water fountain and stays there the whole time I'm collecting MI. So I wonder whether the poor child actually got anything to drink.

By the time we are ready to leave the lab, I am so done in I can barely control my temper. I explain to the girls that they best do exactly what I ask them and do it immediately. Getting them back into the car is another lesson in frustration. I lost my temper. But I controlled it and only took it out on the minivan. It now has a large dent in the fender from where my fist struck.

Later that evening Storyteller told someone that she wanted to go back to Trinity. My poor baby. Storyteller is finding it hard to adjust to the huge school. There is a crush of kids and the building itself is huge.