She made a 'B'

By Amy Heesacker

As I drove up to the side entrance of my daughter's preschool to take my usual place near the end of the pick-up line, I hesitated momentarily before closing the gap between my van and the next, briefly envisioning a quick escape out of the parking lot and back into my peaceful morning. Reluctantly, I corrected the steering wheel's slight rotation and resumed my slow crawl toward the noisy mob of 2-year-olds squirming to be free of their teacher's grasp.

Isa and I had quite a morning prior to preschool drop-off, beginning with her stomping into the living room, hair askew, and growling in my general direction. Breakfast revolved around demands for a cereal that we didn't have that became screams for the cereal that we did have and culminated in a fit of wails (for waffles that we didn't have) loud enough to be heard by intelligent beings tracking us from a distant galaxy.

Although breakfast had left me edgier than a Starbuck's triple mocha, I may require treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder following Isa's tirade at the foot of her dresser drawers. We would get some resolution on one item -– yes, she would wear a skirt -– only to have her rip off the skirt with furious abandon when it was discovered that the shirt she wanted to wear with it was temporarily unavailable.

As I pulled up to the preschool door I scanned Isa's face and then the teacher's for clues about how the rest of the morning had proceeded. Their weary looks hinted that Isa's mood had persisted into the classroom, and I cowardly avoided making eye contact with the teacher.

As I finished strapping Isa into her seat, her teacher called after me in a tone that was difficult to decipher, "Isa has a progress report in her backpack, and she made a 'B' today." I gave her a half smile and a wave as we drove away, and I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't an 'F' as in, "Frankly, we'd rather you not deliver her here again."

Later, as I was marveling at her progress report (Sharing: yes, Playing nicely: yes, Using her manners: yes!!??) and struggling with my confusion over its positive tone and conspicuous lack of any letter grade, Isa pulled her daily artwork from her backpack and shouted, "Look at my Bee! I made a black and yellow Bee, special just for you!" And with that she took a little sting out of our day.

Amy Heesacker is a thirty-something SAHM and part-time psychology professor living in the deep South with her husband and two children.

Comments

[Robin Piccini]

This post made me laugh. Even at 9 1/2 years old,I have moments like this with Lillianna on occasion.

Even though our morning starts off on a frantic note every now and then,by the time she gets home from school all the tears over realizing Daddy ate her favorite cereal or not having syrup for her french toast sticks has vanished.

Once she gets in the car I hear every detail of her day and then she asks what she can have for a snack! All is forgotten.

It's so great that you can laugh about it because you know what? Kids are just funny even when they're having a tantrum!

Thanks for making me laugh!

[dosninas]

Oh I so LOVED this! Hurray for Bs AND bees!