Back when Autumn was just a wee little baby who couldn't roll over, let alone crawl or walk, I wrote a Good Morning column for the paper about dropping her off for her first day at her child-care center.
I know there are people out there who are appalled that people like me let other people take care of our children for eight hours a day. But I'm not alone. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau numbers available, 51 percent of women return to work within four months of giving birth to their first child. Also, 55 percent of women with infant children are in the labor force and 80 percent of women 15-44 whose birth was 12 or more years ago also are in the labor force.
It's never easy to leave your child in someone else's care, especially for the first time. At that time, I worried that Autumn would start to like the people at the center more than me because she'd see them so much. Maybe it's retrospect, but I don't have that fear anymore.
I've seen how much she loves "school." She's truly happy there and very rarely has a bad day. She loves her friends and her teachers, especially one, who I'll call Ms. J. She and Ms. J have a very special relationship. Ms. J took care of her when she was in the infant room then moved to the next room with her as well. Ms. J's technically not her teacher anymore, but she still sees her at the bookends of the day.
Autumn runs to Ms. J in the morning, sits on her lap and happily blows me kisses goodbye. I'm told she even used to cry when Ms. J would go home at the end of the day.
Instead of me feeling jealous about this relationship Autumn has with Ms. J, it really makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I'm incredibly happy that this wonderful woman feels so much love toward my daughter. This is a person who has chosen to love Autumn and who feels Autumn is just as special as Keith and I do.
I don't know what's going to happen when it comes time to move to a classroom further from Ms. J, but I suspect there will be tears, and not all of them will belong to Autumn.