Kindergarten Blues

Steve started kindergarten this year in September and it has been really lovely.
I love Steve and everything but its nice to have a relaxing couple hours when Summer is napping and I can either do laundry, dishes and clean or read and relax. (which typically never happens)
His first day was hard for me though, I had spent so much time thinking about him and trying to pump him up about it that I didn't think about how I would feel once he was gone for 6 hours.
You should also know, if you don't already, that The Family Berlin lives in a less then savory neighborhood.
I seriously live in the ghetto.
For reals.
His school is literally a mile away from the Denny Youth Center and directly in the center of the Projects.
Which made me a little more apprehensive than your average stay at home mommer sending her first born off to school.
Anyway, we got up and got ready for school; shower, dressed, teeth, breakfast and hopped in the car at 820. Thinking that we would get there right on time and everything would be perfect. Well, as it turns out we should have left much earlier. When we got in to the school, it was a total clusterfuck. Kids everywhere, Parents shoving their children of all ages about and trying to listen to the teachers yelling to them where to go.
We ended up getting hustled onto the wall to wait for his class because we were late to get him into the gym where they were supposed to line up and go with their teacher to their new class room.
I felt like a douche.
First day and I'm fucking up all over the place.
Don't hold it against my son, he is a rule follower. Type A all the way!
After standing around for a little while, his teacher finally came through and said, "Hey Steve! Are you ready for your first day?" and that was it.
He was rushed off and I barely got to say goodbye.
I cried, of course and felt restless for the remainder of the day.
When I went to go and pick him up, I cried and he was elated.
"How was your day?"
"It was so cool! Did you cry and say wheres Steve all day?"
"Yes I did."
He thought my sadness was hilarious.
What a jerk.
As the week wore into the beginning of October his teacher took me aside when I was picking him up and said, "I have been forgetting to tell you, I always have to say bad things to parents that I love when I can give compliments. We love Steve, he is so polite and his stories are hilarious. He is doing such a great job. Thank you for raising such a wonderful child."
I was over the moon, of course, and cried a little bit on the walk back to the car.
My baby is growing up and apparently were raising him right.

Cheers.