First Day of School

Yesterday was Jackson's first day at day care. We were so blessed to have been offered a position at one of UCLA's day care centers. We had heard it was very difficult to get a position. One of my colleagues who put her daughter on the waiting list when she was just a few months pregnant is still waiting. Her daughter is almost 2 now and she's expecting her second child. We were starting to think that one of us would have to stay home with Jackson. So we were very surprised to be offered a position just one month earlier than Ian was planning on going back to work. When I tell my colleagues that Jackson got in, they all ask who I paid off to get in. Didn't do any such thing. We just kept praying for some kind of solution for the problem of two working parents. Who knows what went on in the "boardroom" to make this possible. I did hear that they work hard at creating diversity and that they try hard to represent the whole campus. I guess we were just the right people at the right time.

We have mixed feelings about the whole thing. On the one hand, we'd both like to just hang out at home with him all day long. But someone has to make it possible for us to live. And neither of us has a strong sense that we need to leave the opportunities we have in our work. On the other hand, he's in a good place with a great reputation. This also means he's in the pipeline for UCLA preschool and possibly the elementary school. And Ian and I always wanted for him to be used to being around a lot of people so that he could get accustomed to developing relationships with others.

So Ian took him in yesterday for his transition period. My mom was so cute about it. She went "back to school" shopping and bought a few cute outfits for him. After all, she said, it was his first day of "school." I had to laugh a the idea of the little boyboy going to "school." It's just day care after all. And he's only 5 months old. But the folks at the center take it pretty seriously. There are 3 full-time teachers for the 10 kids. And the truth is, he's not just there biding time waiting for us to come get him for the few hours before he goes to bed. He is in a period of exploration and discovery.

When I started thinking about it from that perspective, I started realizing what we were getting into with education. Really, his monthly tuition is what I paid for a year at UC Irvine. Of course, my college days were way back in the last millenium. They've raised tuition significantly since then. It's still quite an expensive monthly bill we're facing. The Center doesn't like us to think that. They have a motto: Early education isn't expensive. It's priceless. So this is the path we're starting him on. Ugh! On the academic track at 5 months! Although I don't intend to abdicate responsibility for his future success to others, I certainly want to see him in environments that can position him to be equipped to pursue with passion a future that will maximize his talents. So I look forward to seeing how he grows as this day care center partners with us in educating our little man.

Clarice