First Day of School, Part I

You expect there to be some tears on a day like this, your kid's first day of school. Today, it was India's, and while I didn't expect her to have too much of a problem with it - especially since we took her in, hung out for a bit, and picked her up - I figured Salomé might get a little emotional. I certainly wasn't expecting Isaac to be the one to lose it, though! India's been his partner in crime since she was born, from the initial weeks at home with Salomé in Virginia; to the first couple of months back in NY, home with me; to the previous and current daycare providers, they've always been together. This morning, it hit him that they were separating and it hit him hard.

"I'm going to miss my sister!"

He was genuinely torn up and it was both a sad and heartening moment. I've often wished I had a sibling I grew up with so closely.

India took to her new school like it was nothing, as much a testament to how far she's come in the few months since she was diagnosed as autistic* and, specifically, the effectiveness of the ABA therapy. Watching her bond immediately with her teacher, Maddy - or is it Mattie? - and exploring the classroom so fearlessly left a shit-eating grin on my face, the kind of reaction I often find myself supressing whenever her progress really stands out, for fear of getting my hopes up too far.

All in all, an extremely positive day. (It'll be interesting to see what Salomé says, as she's blogging at the same time I'm writing this.)

Tomorrow, Isaac vs. the Crucifix. Should be interesting.

*Does one "have" autism, or is one simply autistic? It's a question Salomé and I disagree on, and something I find particularly fascinating. To me, you "have" cancer, or diabetes, but autism is something that becomes definitive. Like schizophrenia, or senility, etc. Neurological disorders seem like a completely different animal from biological ones.