Rage

Today I went for my first ever parent - teacher meeting (as a parent, that is!). Being the only dad in a room full of young moms was a bit embarrassing, but also entertaining. After the perfunctory introductions were done, I crept away to watch how my little angel was doing among her new classmates.

What I saw brought a smile to my lips and a lump to my throat. My little baby was playing, busy with herself, in the sand, as were most other kids. However, when the teacher asked the kids to tidy up, she was the ONLY one who immediately brought not only her own toys to the designated basket, but also the other kids'. The teacher though was least bothered about this little assistant, and went barrelling about here and there. The kids were then put in a line for washing hands, and my little one got jostled about to near the end of the line, while the teachers / ayahs went about mechanically going through the motions.

This kept bugging me the whole day. What is it that I really am upset about? Is it that my little baby is obedient and angelic to a fault? Or is it that her shining light is not really immediately discovered by others. I suspect it is the latter. Being a back-bencher to a fault, I have never really sought out the limelight. In fact, I have gone to great lengths to avoid it all through my life. But when the same happens to my daughter, it brings out in me a desire to grab people by their throats and shout at them "LOOK AT HER. IS NOT SHE MARVELLOUS?"

I guess I better loosen up. My little one is growing up in a world that is going to hurt and avoid her, and be cruel to her. The sooner she toughens up, the better it is for her and for me.

But she really is a darling :-)