The girl in da hoodie
Mallory’s nearing the end of her third month at daycare. I wonder if I will ever come to take for granted one of the two most joyful moments of my day: when I hop off the bike and head into the back yard at the daycare to pick her up.
At first she’d drop whatever she was doing, exclaim/giggle loudly and come running to me, her arms up above her head, anticipating that hello hug. Now she still smiles, comes towards me, but more often than not she wants to go on playing. She might want to show me what she’s doing with the sand, or she might want me to push her in the car, or watch her go down the slide.
I’m heartened by this because I think it means she’s blending well into daycare and appreciates it as a part of her life. When first she started, there were a couple of incidents where one of her class mates bit her. We were alarmed, but the teachers said “You know, they only usually bite the ones they want to befriend.”
I was somewhat incredulous. But sure enough each of the last few days that I’ve gone to get her, she’s paused to give the aforementioned predator a hug before leaving. In case you are wondering, I looked it up. There is nothing cuter than two toddlers hugging.
The other day I got a call at work from one of the teachers – first time since Mallory started. I could hear Mallory crying in the background. The teacher said she didn’t think Mallory needed to go home, but wanted me to know that she’s not her normal self – “She’s been crying a lot. Maybe she’s coming down with something.”
I hemmed and hawed about coming to pick her up. The teacher went on to say, “Though I think now she’s crying because she doesn’t have her hoodie.”
“Oh, well,” I said. “She has to have her hoodie.” The teachers have come to call her “The Girl in the Hood” or “Little Red Riding Hoodie” because in almost all sorts of weather Mallory insists on wearing a hoodie, with the hood up. I was surprised (a) that the teachers were messing with that and (b) didn’t consider that this may have been the source of her unhappiness.
“It wasn’t outside when we came out after nap,” the teacher said.
“Maybe go find it,” I suggested. So they did and she calmed down. I didn’t blame the teachers. You can’t get that attached to a particular type of clothing. You can’t wear one all the time, after all. But after I got off the phone, I figured I’d leave in an hour, to go pick her up half an hour early.
I lasted 20 minutes. I couldn’t stop thinking about her being unhappy. I wasn’t getting anything done.
She seemed fine when I got there – hoodie and all – and nicey-ed up good when I got her home. And when she went to bed, I got my goodnight hug and kisses (my other most cherished moment of the day) as normal.
So I guess even The Girl in the Hood can have off days.
