First Day at School

We did a few trail runs at school last week, with Lutaaya going in  for a couple of hours and meeting her new class mates.  They took me by surprise when they showed their excitement to have her in their class.  Every child shouted for joy as they saw her walking in.  They have been prepared for her arrival for the last few weeks.  They instantly made her feel at ease.  Welcome cards were given to her and they all argued over who she would sit next too.  It was adorable and very moving to watch.

So uniform is bought and today is the first full day Lutaaya will do at school.  She looked so smart in her uniform and takes so much pride in her appearance.  She took forever to choose what clips she wanted in her hair for school.

I must admit I was always one of those people who always wondered why mother's cried on day 1 of school.  Now I can totally understand and appreciate this feeling.  Even though you've met the teacher, and you can see the children are lovely in the class, you know she's safe but the underlying thing is:  you're not there.  You're not there to look out for her, you're not there to protect her, you're not there to help her.  You, as a mother, are leaving your child.  In some shape or form, you are choosing to cause another abandonement in her life.  But obviously this time there is a happy ending, as in a few hours time, I will go back to the school and collect my little darling.  I will be there every day on time and stand in the same place, to instill in her that I will always be there for her at the end of the day. 

She came out bouncing!  She absolutely loved school.  She adored being fussed over, she thrived on making friends, she learned that learning and school can be fun.  I am so overjoyed.  No longer is school a memory of strict teachers and embarrasing beatings in front of the whole school, but now school is a good part of her life.  School is going to open a whole new bank of opportunities for Lutaaya and we can't wait to explore them all.