The Daycare Drop-Off

Nora started daycare today. She's going to go for only two hours each day for the rest of August (two weeks), and then go for four hours every afternoon after that. The daycare people suggested a gradual introduction period of at least a week. As this was a big day for our family, Marga and I both walked her down to daycare to see her off. In the future, only Marga will take her on her way to work.

This fortress gate is the entrance to the daycare. The building at the end of the road, through the trees, is the one we live in. Pretty close, huh?

The inner gate has a latch at the very top that only grown-ups can operate. Marga actually looks like a kid going to her first day of school, doesn't she? The backpack is full of the required diapers, wet wipes, extra clothes, etc.

We were greeted at the door by a very friendly lad named Sergio riding a tricycle. As Marga was doing paperwork, Sergio walked me around and showed me all his toys, specifically taking advantage of his big new friend to get toys down from high shelves. If I looked away for a second, he'd say, "¡Mira, ven!" and pull me towards something else.

Eventually it was time to pull Nora out of her stroller and hand her over. Of course she chose this moment to cry, which made the moment all the harder. She had no idea what was happening, of course, and was crying about something unrelated to her impending abandonment, but her tears added some extra emotion to the situation. No matter how my logical left brain told me that correlation was certainly not causation in this case, my emotional right brain couldn't help but project mature emotional understanding onto my 4.5 month old daughter's behavior.

I admit it, I got a little misty-eyed.

But before I knew it, she was out of my hands and walking down the hall to meet her caretakers. And in the blink of an eye, the two hours were over and she was back at home with us like she'd never left.

And so begins Nora's journey into the labyrinth modern society calls an education system. I can't wait to see what she's like on the other end.