Dropoff Drama

Ahhhh preschool enfin! We seem to be starting up excruciatingly late this year. I think we must live in the only jurisdiction on the planet that still starts school after Labor Day. My niece in a nearby city started like two weeks ago. But the blessed day has finally arrived.

Was a little worried because Hank had somehow developed a fixation with Ms. Annemarie, the other four-year-old teacher, and had a fit every time I tried to gently get him used to the idea that he was not going to be in her class. The situation is made worse by the fact that his oldest friend (they go waaay back—like 3 years) is, in fact, in Annemarie’s class. He seemed to forget about it during this morning’s open house and enjoyed discovering his new classroom but started talking about her again on the way home. Hoping it’s not going to be an issue and that occasionally admiring la belle Annemarie on the playground will be enough.

And of course we’ll have to get back into the groove with the whole drop off, pick up and playground socializing thing. For you non-parents, there’s so much more to it than just dropping your kid off for preschool. For a bunch of women with nowhere else to go,it’s time to see and be seen and connect with other mothers (or not). I always wonder how much (or how little) grooming is acceptable before drop off. I don’t really care all that much how I come off, but I don’t want to show up looking like a total hag either. Fortunately, the rest of us slobs will no longer have to encounter the perfectly made up blond from last year who always showed up in workout clothes and never failed to park her Range Rover in the fire lane. Her kid has moved on to kindergarten this year. As has my prom date’s kid so don’t have to worry about running into him. Unlikely I’ve seen the last of him though…there’s always elementary, middle and high school to think about. Good lord.

When it comes down to it, I’m not the greatest preschool mommy. I try to avoid coming off as aloof but I guess I’m just not that warm/friendly/approachable. And when I’ve tried to reach out to parents of classmates, it hasn’t really seemed to work. Everyone seems so busy and like they already have all the friends they need. I’ve had more success meeting interesting parents at other venues, notably at parties thrown by mutual friends. (Meeting other moms is a lot like dating, and I think in both cases, having a common connection bodes well for the relationship.) There’s also the fact that my house is always a bloody mess, which makes it difficult to organize playdates. There are a few laid back mamas I don’t mind letting into my chaos, but I really think some of the tightly wound gals from the playground would flip if they got a glimpse of the scene around here.

In case you were wondering, this does not in any way mean I will be facebooking and reading magazines for hours on end. I still have a rowdy toddler to contend with, of course. But managing one kid for a few hours after a summer of handling two full time is like taking the training weight off your baseball bat. Feels kind of effortless. We can do some yoga, have tea parties and read Polar Bear, Polar Bear a zillion times.