Like a no good can of beans

So, actually, the first day of gan went pretty smoothly.

I woke up in a cold sweat, went to the bathroom 3 times, left the apartment a flying wreck, and exited at precisely 7:45 AM to Meet The Teacher.

She was sweet, the classroom had little corners with toy stations set up in them, and the teacher's assistant held out a container of candies to each new girl. Coco-pop figured the system out pretty quickly and waited in line time and again until her little mouth and fists were full. Princess looked around, enchanted. I stayed with her for around an hour, and then gently told my beloved progeny, who was bent over a doll carriage and in the process of tucking a blanket around a slightly chewed-on baby, that I would be leaving in around an hour, and prepared myself for the flood of pain and tears.

That's when her ponytail started talking to me. It said, "That's okay. You can go now."

I stared her ponytail in the eye for a while. Then I said, brokenly, "do I even get a hug?"

He ponytail swung back and forth a little. Then it said, "Maybe when you come to pick me up."

So there was angst and tears after all. But they were all mine.

My loving arms have been exchanged for a doll carriage.

There was another thing that I didn't count on; Coco-pop's feelings at the loss of her playmate/ruthless enemy. I thought that she would enjoy the quiet morning with me, but every few minutes she would go to the window, and call out, "Princess, where are you?" And look at me with confusion when I replied that Princess would be coming home soon. Her toys had no meaning, and she didn't even want her milk. She just stood at the window, waiting for her Princess to come home.