First day of college

For a few minutes, I felt like I was taking her to jail, or more fitting, to one of those mental asylums you see on T.V.

It was Anne Marie's first day at college (in the Early Learning Center), and she was sleeping in her carrier, thankfully not seeing what was going on around her. Her classroom was at the end of a long hall. As I walked along, screaming filled the hallway from every angle. In one room, a child was pounding his fists against the door, with screams of "No! Don't leave me! Mommy, no!," coming from his tear-streaked face.

Finally, I got to Anne Marie's room, which was relatively peaceful. One baby was screaming, but the other three were happily playing. One little girl, probably about 8 or 9 months old, was using some plastic keys to pound on a 4-month old's head. He didn't seem to notice. By this time, Anne Marie was awake, and her eyes were huge.

One of the teachers tried to put the screaming baby down to take Anne Marie, but there was no way that baby was going anywhere. So I said, "Where should I put her?" She told me anywhere was fine. I set her down by some toys, and hoped for the best.

I told her Anne Marie was a pretty laid-back baby. "So's this one," the teacher said, pointing at the screaming child in her arms.

I could barely make it through the day. I kept wondering if she would survive. I left as soon as I could from work, and when I got there, things seemed a whole lot better. In the imprisoned boy's classroom, children were happily eating bananas. In the other rooms, babies were quietly playing.

Anne Marie was fast asleep, and had been for three hours, according to the little sheet detailing her day. The teacher said she had been good, but I'm pretty sure she told the screaming baby's mom the same thing.

I'm sure the Early Learning Center is a good place, but today definitely made me glad I made the decision to work part-time. Anne Marie could probably survive more than one day a week in day care, but I don't think I could.