Zoo Baby

Saturday, January 15, 2005

Ruby began daycare this week. I start school next Tuesday, and there’s no one that we know with that much free time, no matter what NORA says, so somebody’s got to take care of her. We scoured the city looking for acceptable facilities. The only one that we found which allowed for my variable part-time student’s schedule was like a baby zoo. They had rows of playpens lined up in a dirty room with a path between them so that passers-by could stare and point. If Ruby were there, her pen would have a little path worn about its perimeter from where she paced crankily, looking for a way out. She’d have a little plaque by her cage that would explain a little bit about her:

“In the wild, the Ruby spends most of its day foraging for milk and butternut squash. This particular species is notable for the fact that it almost never sleeps. PLEASE DON’T FEED THE RUBY. She will put ANYTHING in her mouth.”

It was really sad to see all those kids penned up like that.

Luckily, even though we have to pay full time for it, we found a great place for her. Thanks for the heads up, Mom! Ruby can roam free in the Grasshopper (the school’s name for her age group) room, and she gets a couple of outdoor excursions every day, snow or shine. She seems to enjoy spending time with the other kids, and the two teachers that take care of her class seem really nice. The facility is clean and well designed, and the two teachers never have more than six toddlers to teach. The kids are constantly kept busy with activities. Ruby apparently loves bubbles and can color a little bit. I feel like a negligent parent because I never thought to have her color, and I only tried bubbles once when she was too young to appreciate them.

Actually, I feel like a negligent parent because my 10-month-old girl is going to be spending a good part of her time with strangers. I knew it was going to have to happen, and I intellectually accepted it as a part of the way that people grow up in this culture. One of the main reasons that I want to be a teacher is so that I will have more time with Ruby when she starts school, and I need to finish college for that to happen. I remember growing up in daycare, and it was fine for me. As a matter of fact, I think it’s good for an only child to spend time with lots of other kids whenever possible. Somehow with Ruby however, I feel that she needs to be home with me. I’m dreaming about hitting the lottery or finding out that I’m the sole heir of the incredibly wealthy and dead Prince Alfonse LeBurge, so that I can quit my job and deal with that which is most important: my daughter. I love you Ruby. You be good now, and I’ll come get you as soon as I can.