Here He Goes Again on His Own*

Although "again" isn't really accurate, since Cubby has NEVER been on his own. He has never once in his three and a half years spent any appreciable time without his mother, father, or grandmother present.

Until today. When he started preschool.

It sounds more momentous than it is. He's only going two mornings a week, from 9 a.m. to noon. Not exactly like sending him off to boarding school. It's a tiny preschool in the village a mile from us. One of the teachers is a mother he knows from story hour at the library. He's related to one of the other eleven kids, and our friends Jodi and Alyssa's younger son goes too.

But still. He's asked several times in the past few days if I would stay at the school with him. If Charlie would be there. What if he gets lonely. That kind of thing.

And then I dropped him off this morning and he raced directly to the play toaster without a single backward glance.

Right. I'll just be going then.

When I returned three hours later, the kids were out on the playground. When Cubby saw me, he said he didn't want to go home and continued climbing on the jungle gym.

I asked the teacher how he did. She said he did great. If I may quote: "He reminded us all of some rules and was the line leader today." Which probably means he was maybe a little bossy and domineering. Neither of which surprises me.

Cubby will be Cubby wherever he goes. I just hope the rest of the world is ready for it.

* That title should, of course, remind you of this song, if you are as prone to 80s hairband sentimentality as I apparently am. It's really a wonderful video in the genre. The spectacular backlighting does a superb job of highlighting The Hair.