Tagged, She’s It…
She is only beginning her independent journey and it’s already become a bittersweet ride.
My daughter started her first toddler class today at our local Boys and Girl s Club. The brochure mentioned something about, “Arts, Crafts, Fun and Stories.” Kind of vague, but it sounded like fun. We had been to the facility before for many open gym play sessions; the normal gymnasium full of mats, toys, and clutter strewn about for kids to reek havoc. But somehow today’s 45-minute session of minor-toddler-separation-anxiety was not something I anticipated.
With my daughter’s hand wrapped tightly around my index finger, a woman at the front desk led us over to the door labeled “Tot Class.” We entered gingerly around the corner, and then, my daughter immediately let go… ran…and didn’t look back. But of course, I followed…
The teacher approached us and exchanged handshakes. With a marker in hand and a sheet of name tag stickers in the other, she bent over. Row after row her finger scanned, as flashbacks of field trips and first days flooded my thoughts. Then her finger paused. She began to peel off the name tag already written out, “E-L-L-A”. I swore it happened in slow motion, like slowly tearing off a band-aid from my heart, making sure to tug on every sensitive nerve. Stuck onto her chest it went. She looked down at it for quick glance, and then went on her merry way. Now tagged and labeled with more independence. Normally, if at home, she would peel it right off and stick it to a wall or maybe the dog, but as if she knew, she paraded around the classroom wearing it, maybe as a badge of honor. No longer my baby, but officially a toddler. 
You’re probably wondering what the heck this is on the left. It’s my little Van Gogh’s first masterpiece, a.k.a. an Apple made from a paper plate and tissue paper. It was her first experience with gooey white Elmer’s glue and went a little nuts (glad it didn’t take place in our house).
Yup, the glue is STILL drying.
