We had the experience of sending Rishabh and Supriyaa to school for the "first time" in Pune. So, we will try to recollect those moments which remind of those days even after such a long time has passed...
Rishabh was enrolled in a play school not far from our "Malawika Apts" house which was run by an ex-Principal of a reputed school, Ms. Pramila Subramanian. While the advantage was that she was a Tamilian, Rishabh had to face being away from home for the first time. On the first day, Rishabh was dressed in normal dress (as the uniforms were still to be arranged) and was quite happy to go to the playschool. But when Subha left him at the school and started to leave, the maid at the school had to forcibly take in the kids and ask all parents to leave immediately. Later, we learnt that after some initial crying, the kids started playing with the toys and got themselves occupied.
Later, for a few weeks, Subha had a tough time to get Rishabh ready for school and to persuade him that he will be fine at the school. Even as Subha started dressing up Rishabh in the uniform which was a white and red striped shirt with matching red shorts, he was all tears and would create a scene. My worries even when I would have left for work would be that the auto-rickshaw must safely take Rishabh to school and back home. Rishabh would try all tricks to avoid going to the playschool such as complaining of stomach ache. Sometimes, Subha used to accompany him to school by auto-rickshaw and when the last turn to the school came up, he would start crying and refuse to get off the auto-rickshaw. Subha had to convince him that she would buy a chocolate and give it to him when he returns home. When he returned home, Rishabh was extremely happy to be back.
Supriyaa also had a tough time to adjust to the first time school experience. She was enrolled to Ankur playschool near our "Shilpa Society" house. The drill began with waking her up early. She had no school uniform on the first day. She realized that she will be alone when Subha was leaving the playschool. We learnt later that she had cried a lot and slept for the whole duration of 1.5 hours. She had to be woken up to go back home!
Later, Supriyaa adjusted very well and started enjoying the school and also the snacks that were served at the school. Unlike Rishabh, Supriyaa used to walk to school escorted by Subha or the maid. She would throw tantrums that both Subha and the maid should escort her and drop her off at school. At the annual day function at the playschool, Supriyaa went on to win a prize as well for some activities.
- Compiled with inputs from Subha
Hah, made good reading ! I can imagine how Rishabh must have invented the choicest reasons :-). Cute.
ReplyDeleteSupriyaa sleeping the entire 1.5 hours is also cute......
Usually when kids are born, it very tempting to comment , "this one looks like Athai,..his nose is like mama, but his face is like paati... A tendency that eulogises the past but fails to cognise the future. Therefore, this is one that I want to make on our GEN NEXT.
ReplyDeleteRishabh displays all the creative energy that I discerned in Ganesh (although I felt that Ganesh always reined it in, in his typical style) and Supriya is quietly talented taking after Subha. Her paintings are quite reflective of her world view. Suggest the art protagonists in the family to watch out for this precocious talent.
This will sound sappy to most non-parents, but the first few days and weeks of dropping off the kid at school (or day care) are gut wrenching indeed. The drop off, at least initially, always feels like reckless abandonment! But it is a rite of passage that every parent goes through and deals with in his or her own way. As with any first experience of its kind, the first kid is probably the hardest hitting. With the second and beyond, we can relax in the reassurance that this too shall pass, with unsure and uncomfortable beginnings always leading to more confident, more grown kids that are just as adorable as before they went through the process.
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