Bittersweet

So last Wednesday was the big day. I took the afternoon off work and The Girl and I went to [gasp/sob] Kindergarten Registration. So much blog fodder came from this excursion that it would be difficult for me to decide who to pick on. So, instead, I decided to write about the most important topic, The Girl herself.

For those who have been playing along at home, you know that we here in Fauvetopia have had many interesting problems with The Girl. While most are medical issues, we have had to also deal with her extreme "shyness". Though, I loathe to use that term because it so does not encompass the full seriousness of her issues and I NEVER use that term in front of her and hate it when others do as well. That's one thing I have learned…children will rise to your level of expectation. So if you tell them they are shy, they will be shy. The Girl's are more along the lines of actual phobias which I've mentioned here before; among them, Neophobia (fear of anything new), Ligyrophobia (fear of loud noises), and Anthropophobia (fear of people in general).

And I have to get her to go on a big noisy school bus...full of strangers...by herself… Only so that she can get off and enter a big noisy school…full of strangers…by herself… Though I must say, this school district did wonders with it's registration process. Everything was laid out. Easy for the parents. Easy for the kids. The Girl got a tour of the school, met her teacher, saw the workbooks she'd be using and was given multiple snacks, presents and even a balloon. She did not utter a single word to anyone but me the entire two hours we were there but she only spent the first half hour with her face hidden in my ass and/or leg so we are improving. But the amazing phenomenal blow your fucking mind part? The school tour? She did it on her own.

One of the teachers did the tours in small groups, taking 4 or 5 kids at a time while we parents filled out a stack of paperwork taller then most of our children (WTF?! I swear, when I registered The Boy 11 years ago, all I did was sign my name, his name and hand them a copy of his immunization record). Anyway, the first two times they tried to get her on the tour she whimpered and then hid her face in my lap. In the meantime, when she was left alone, she would stand by herself watching a few other little girls running around and playing. I suggested that she join them but that, of course, was a no go. However, it came time for these other little girls to go on the tour and they were being shepherded out of the room. I asked The Girl if wouldn't she rather go on the tour with the other girls rather then have to go later by herself and she nodded her head yes! Praise Jesus! You could have knocked me over with a feather I was so shocked, but I hid it well and led The Girl by the hand over to the group. I informed the teacher that Girl wanted to join the other girls and then Girl was then surrounded by this gaggle of giggling things. The Girl only hesitated long enough to ask "Are you going to leave?" to which I swore up and down, left and right, and on my very soul that I would not budge from that room and that I would be there when she returned. My daughter then did something that I have never seen her do in her entire life….when the teacher held out her hand to The Girl to come join the group, Girl let go of my hand and took hers. And I watched them walk away down the school hall….