Sitting with my three-year-old on the bench of Class 3B of the only satisfactory school in our small town, I was quickly refreshing his ABCs, counting, and colours. Call me crazy to be taking the admission of a preschooler so seriously, but half the bunch of mothers in the room were no different. I’ve heard it’s a shared feeling among new parents. Once you start raising your third and fourth, everything seems doable and manageable, since you’re only living it all over again.
So anyways, 2nd March was the day my son gave his oral admission test for Pre-nursery. Almost a hundred families turned up for the test, and this was only for the Pre-nursery admissions scheduled for that day. No masks, no gloves, and no sanitizers - and you know how kids this age can be once they get someone their age to play with!
I remember hearing it in the news that quite a few people abroad were being affected by an epidemic, but it seemed miles away. One or two cases had appeared in my country too, so I can’t say it didn’t bother me to be sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with such a huge bunch of applicants clustered in a small classroom. But at the time, it didn’t seem something worth yelling and creating a scene over.
After what seemed like hours, we were ushered to the teacher’s room with five other applicants. I sat down in front of a cheerful teacher, my son standing beside me. He confidently solved a Dora the Explorer puzzle and answered where his mama was. Not to mention how idiotic I felt after spending ages preparing him for a full-fledged examination!
She asked me a bunch of questions about my son’s routine and development and then dismissed us with the assurance that they’ll give us a call before 3rd April. That was the scheduled day for the first day of school initially.
I had been fantasizing about this day since soon after my boy’s birth - again something that new parents will relate to. You can imagine how the excitement was at its peak at this point when it was all coming alive.
What shirt will make him look like a good boy, what shoes will work best, the Paw Patrol school bag in which I’ll pack his lunchbox and water bottle, when should we be getting the course books, crayon or colour pencils… the list is endless.
Only, the call I longed for never came. The world changed instead.
Coronavirus had emerged as a pandemic and a series of strict steps were being taken globally to contain the spread. Lockdown was one of them. The lockdown that began in our town on 23rd March and was to end on 4th April was extended first to the 14th, and then the 28th of April.
The dream of the first day of school seems somewhere far off in the distance now. I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that the world will be reborn before I see my kid going off to school. It’s ironic how something seemingly petty that I made a huge deal out of is now actually unachievable.
In case you were wondering, I did get that call. The admission was finalized and we even got those course books. But it’s surprising how priorities change with time and situation.
Sending my kid to school is something that seemed like the world to me. Now, however, that looks like something that will be thought about once we emerge through this pandemic. What’s most important today is to stay safe and live through it.
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