tallpoppy

One of the things we've been busy with is Maggie starting school. You think it's a head trip when your oldest child starts school; it's nothing compared to when your youngest does. Suddenly, you are a house that no longer has preschoolers. You are firmly lost in the vortex of school obligations, the school run first thing in the morning, baking cupcakes for Cupcake Day, coughing up a hard whack of "voluntary" school fees. The morning rush to get swimming kit ready.

It was quite sad to move on from the nursery (Newlands Childcare Inc, who I'd thoroughly recommend). We were associated with the nursery for six years; Rebecca started when she was about two, Maggie when she was one. Both loved it. I have heard people decry parents who "pack their children off to daycare" (exact quote). It was nothing like that. It was a community. The teachers clearly loved the kids; the parents got involved and helped out. The place is run as a nonprofit, with governance by a committee of parents - I was on the committee for four years, three of which I was the secretary. When the kids saw their teachers at the supermarket they'd run over and hug them. It was - is - a good community, and one we were proud to be a part of.

Sometimes, on days that I'd driven to work, I'd pick Maggie up from nursery on my way home. After finally extracting her from her afternoon of endless fun, running around with her friends and fingerpainting at will, I'd manage to wrestle her into the car. At this point, if the stereo was playing music that she considered to be insufficiently rocking, she always made the same request: "Papa, put on rock and roll! Put on the woo hoo hoo song!". This was her way of requesting Entertain, by Sleater-Kinney. The "wooo hoo hoo" bit being the shouting in the chorus, which Maggie joins in lustily with. Bless her little cotton socks.