Day 17: What School Days Are For

Today is Asia's first day of public school, and I wonder what's going on. I wanted to slip a pretty pink cell phone into her pocket so I could check in with her whenever I wanted. In real time I could find out about social studies and math and recess and lunch. I'm only thinking of her, really. I'm trying to save her from a barrage of questions at dinner. Would you rather have twenty questions all at once or twenty questions one at a time? Or to put it another way, would you rather talk to your dad once or talk to him twenty times? See, you understand why the pretty pink cell phone is the only kind thing to do.

I also wonder what Colette and Rex are doing. I'm very happy they'll have this time alone while Asia's at school and I'm at work. Rex has his own work to do--understanding what a Mommy is. Ralin told us when he first joined their foster family, he called everyone "Mommy," including the Dad and even the dog (that Chihuahua could make a nasty lasagna). He had so many different caregivers that to him, everyone was Mommy.

This is the part when as adoptive parents, we have to swallow our pride and accept where Rex is at. Sure, I want our son to call his Mommy, "Mommy," and not just because she's a caregiver, but because she's The Caregiver. I want him to know that Colette is his unique, one-of-a-kind, permanent, my-heart-is-for-you, I'll-climb-mountains-for-you Mommy. I want him to know that he is hers. He's not there yet, but he'll learn. That's what school days are for.