Today marks yet another milestone in Bella’s life. As I recount Bella’s first day of school, another memory of my youth comes to focus.
I remember as a young child, I tossed and turned at night thinking of the exciting prospects of the first day of school. Summer was fading into a distant memory and soon backpacks and books replaced lazy summer days at the pool. I prepared for this momentous occasion for weeks in advance. My mother and I embarked on our ceremonial trip to the mall to buy my new first-day outfit, one that undoubtedly was on sale. I picked my outfit carefully knowing full well that this was one of few opportunities that my mom would allow me to cash in on a name-brand label. We bought notebooks and backpacks, pencils, and paper. All the school supplies suggested by the school were purchased and neatly placed in my backpack days in advance.
When the night before finally arrived, I could hardly contain my excitement. Who would my homeroom teacher be? Would my best friend be in my class? Will my brand new Guess? jeans go well with my penny loafers?
These are the questions that plague a young child’s mind as she prepares herself for a new social unknown. Would Bella be thinking the same? She may still lack appreciation for fine clothing (although she’s well on her way to become a budding fashionista), but clearly she’s developed her own self-awareness. Her insistence on wearing her worn-down brown Crocs for the umpteenth time, eating only familiar foods, and buckling her own seat belt in the car seat by herself are all signs of her increasing independence. Fortunately for us, this independence allowed Bella’s first day to go as smoothly as I could ever have imagined.
Yes, she cried when we told her that we were leaving, but Jin and I comforted her and assured her that we would soon return. By midmorning, Miss Miriam called to report on Bella’s first few hours of daycare and said that Bella had forgotten all about Mommy and Daddy. She enjoyed her first circle-time, completed all tasks as prescribed by the Montessori method – lining up different shaped blocks from small to large, placing rings on a wooden peg, and helping another child with her tasks. When Jin picked her up, she was playing with the other children on the swings. Although she jumped up and down gleefully when she spotted Jin, she eagerly declared that she would have fun returning the next day.
Here’s a clip of her preparing for her momentous day:
Bella clutches her Dora lunch bag as we sing songs on the way to school.
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