History Repeats Itself

So the first day of kindergarten has happened. Everything went fairly well. The one kink we have to work out is the pick-up at the end of Abby's day. Since Abby's day is 9:30 - 4:00 Kindercare is taking her to and from school. They have a little bus that is used to drop off and pick up kids throughout the day. Abby is the only one from Kindercare going to her school, so we have to coordinate with everyone else.

When I was in Kindergarten, all-day school wasn't an option. You were either a morning kid or an afternoon kid, a walker or a buser. I was a morning kid, and I would have been a buser except no one was at my house during the day. Both of my parents worked full-time. There are many more programs and options for working parents these days, but when I was 5, there weren't many places to put me when not in school. The solution my mom found was to have a yellow cab pick me up at the end of school and take me to the daycare near her office. Then she and Dad would pick me up at the end of their day.

This would, of course, never work these days, but back then it was a fairly decent system. Except for one thing. That yellow cab made me different. And kids are not always nice to those who are different. I don't think I helped my cause when I insisted on wearing my new Moon boots the first week of school when it was still 75 and sunny. That really didn't get me off to a good start. I made it through the year though. I had the same cab driver every day. If he was sick, someone filled in. My Mom paid them at the end of every week. To this day, the smell inside a taxi makes me feel like a little kid.

Abby doesn't have to deal with a taxi ride from school, but she does have a working Mom and must, therefore, understand a little extra effort is required to organize her day. The difference for her is that many of the kids around her are doing the same thing. There are the standard walkers and busers, but there are other child care centers doing transportation too. Her teacher was not confused, worried, or surprised to learn that Abby would be picked up by the Kindercare bus. She just added it to the list of all the other kids. I think I'd have to call that progress.

Abby and I are benefiting from women like my mom who found a way to make it work. Yes, a little more effort is required for those of us who can't greet their kid as she steps off the bus, but it has gotten easier. Abby is learning that life requires adaptation. The best you can do is pull on your boots and roll with it.