The formal education of Vir Gogoi

One of the biggest developments in Vir's life in the last month has been the beginning of his formal school education. This is a HUGE step, even though it's only playschool right now and he only goes for an hour a day. But that doesn't change the fact that he's never really going to have an unregulated life from now on. Forever after, he's going to have to get up at a certain time every day and get ready to go address his day, no matter what it's going to look like. (Yes, even if he's an out of work artist, which his over ambitious parents have wistfully imagined for him, but that's another story for another day). He's going to learn to love weekends the way most of us would empathize with though I hope that he loves whatever he does so much that weekends are a nuisance. (Though let's face it...how often does that really happen?)

Anyway, school is going great. It started out really well...he loved the place right from when we first took him to visit before we had decided where to send him. He also loved his first week there because he got to play with all sorts of new toys and on the swings and in the sandpit and the added benefit was that I accompanied him and cheered him on in all these new adventures. He wasn't thrilled when he caught on that I would eventually stop coming into his "classroom" with him and it didn't help that around this time he got sick and had to take off for about a week. So, by the time he got back, all the other kids were settled and he was the only one who still needed mommy. All in all though, I don't think it's taken him very long to get settled. Till last week, he would get a little teary eyed at the gate when I would leave him with his teachers and would sort of tentatively try to reassure himself by repeating that mom is going to be waiting at the gate for him (which is what I would tell him to make him feel secure). It helped that I was always there waiting as promised when he ran back out and also that he really had a blast for the hour that he was inside. So, today, he got to a point where he completely forgot to cry or even say bye to me and simply ran inside with one of his friends without even waiting for either of his teachers to take him! Oh how my heart sang at this display of independence!! This is a great beginning and I have my fingers crossed for the future.

For now, I look forward every day to his stories that always begin with "school mein kya kiya?" (what did you do in school?) and range from things like "cycle ke saath khela" (played with a cycle), to mitti khaya (ate sand), to "Amaarya ke saath khana banaya" (cooked with Amaarya, a classmate).

So fly little Vir and I hope you always always are this joyful about the things you do and learn. And you never need to be told - mom and dad will always be waiting at the gate for you.