Transitions

When I had my first baby, I started worrying how could I even take her to a day-care and go back to work. She was very clingy. When I left the room she started crying and cried until I picked her up. Not even Daddy was good enough for her.  I can't believe how fast time has gone by. My daughter is already five years old. She is a little bit shy, but very determined. Just like when she was a baby: she knew what she wanted and didn't give up until Mommy picked her up.

This and next week all kids born in 2009 need to be registered to pre-school. There are not many private schools in Finland. There are none close by where we live (that means within 10 minutes travel). The best choice for us is a local public school. It is located only a few minutes ride from our house (1 km). When my daughter is older (7-8 years old), she is able to walk to the school by herself like most Finnish kids do.

I am worried whom we should wish to be in the same class with my daughter. How can we make the right choices... My daughter seems to be playing with many different girls in her kindergarten. Are they forming friendship for the rest of their school years? How do these sweet girls turn out when they become teenager? The feeling of responsibility for my daughter's future feels heavy upon me.

The past has taught me that often there is no need to worry. When my daughter turned one years old, I returned to work for nine months. I am thankful that we didn't have take our daughter to a day-care. Daddy stayed home with her and took care of her. (My husband was a student at that time and he was studying when she was taking a nap.)  I worried that our daughter would cry the whole day, because that is how it had been whenever I left the house. To our great surprised she waved to me at the door and was happy all day. It was a successful beginning for a special bond between Daddy and his daughter.