Go Public

Time flies so fast!!! Yofel is almost 3 years old, and we decided it's time for him to go to school!! =)

eating biscuit, a very big achievement!

I didn't do too much research about which is the best school for Yofel. There is one good preschool in our apartment, only 12 floors down and a couple of steps away, so it's easiest for Yofel to be enrolled in that school. The lessons are in English, but there's Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia lessons as well, so we're pretty content about it.

First day of school, I was really nervous, I guess more nervous than Yofel himself. It's that bittersweet feeling, when you know there's a new era to face, but you don't want to lose the old one yet. Watching him wearing his brand new uniform and playing with other kids...there are things that are indeed still priceless in this pricey material world.

But at the same time, I also realized one important thing. Enrolling your kid into a school means your parenting stuff and kids problems becoming public. It suddenly becomes everybody's business, from the teachers at school to the other parents and kids in the class.

I remember the horrifying feeling when Yofel, who is still a picky eater and hates eating more than anything else, refused to sit down around the table with the other kids to have snack time. Instead of munching the biscuit and sitting with other children, Yofel kept screaming, kicking around and finally throwing the plate (luckily, a plastic plate) toward his teacher!

Embarrassment, fear and tears welled up in my heart (and eyes!), but I tried to hide it all. The teacher calmed me down and said that every kid needs time to adjust in new environment, so I don't need to be worried. Same thing happened when Yofel running around the class when the other kids singing and dancing. The alarming thing was that some of the kids were following him running around, and I tried to keep my face as innocent as possible when their parents looking at me.

But truth is, all the worrying and feeling afraid for Yofel seemed worth it when I heard from his nanny that Yofel is now starting to eat with his friends, or participating in singing and dancing in class, even he was willing to come forward as a volunteer to do the rote count.

Proud.

A feeling that is indeed, more priceless than anything.

Like his teacher once said to him, "Good job, Yofel!"