Preschool Lessons

When I picked Little One up, at first She came at me running, grinning. 
Then a lightbulb went on and She screeched to a halt. 
"Uh..uh n-no thanks! Hi mommyloveyoubut no thanks I want to stay here in this GREAT PLACE!"
So.  I wonder if She liked it?
With promises to return tomorrow, She thanked Her teacher "for the SO much fun" and literally skipped out the door.  She was a stream of auctioneer-speed storytelling as we made our way through the parking lot.
"oh-my-guh-ness-mommy-it-was-so-fun-and-there-were-two-balls-and-a-balance-beam- and I balanced!- and-a-swing-and-some-monkey-bars-and-lots-of-toys-and-so-much-works-to-work-on-and-a-sink-I-can-reach-with-soap-and-everything- just my size!-and-water-I-can-get-myself-and-girls-and-boys-and-one-boy-ran-with-me- A LOT!- and-I-learned-a-new-lesson-and-when-the-bell-rings-it-means STOP. and-listen-quietwee-and-guess-what-mommy-I-DID-and-I-sat-nicely-with-my-hands-in-my-lap-and-a'haved-myself-and-I-LIKE-my-teacher-and-I-ate-some-apples-and- OH! Missy! Whatever matter?!"

Arriving at the car She finally noticed Her little sister, who had been staring, wide-eyed, at this outpouring of vocabulary and emotion.  With Her tiny lip trembling. When Little One's attention finally turned on Miss, She held Her arms out as far as She could reach, and fat tears rolled down Her cheeks.  "SISSSYY!!!!!"   She wailed. 
Little One was aghast.  She looked at me.
"Oh, Little One.  We are so happy you had fun and did great at school today! But we missed you while you were gone.  Little Miss has been asking for you and missing you a lot this morning."
Little One put Her backpack down and gathered Missy into Her arms.
"Oh Little Miss.  My sweet wittle Missy-miss.  It's ok! My wittle precious angel.  Don't you know I will never leave you?  I never never ever will!  I'll NEVER leave you my precious, sweet Missy.  I'm your sister and I love you forever all the time.  So don't cry tears! Come on.  Let's go home and I will read some stories with you.  You can pick all the stories for ours nap today. Ok?"
Miss sniffed.  Nodded.  And smiled up at Her sister. 

We had a picnic at the park and explored the playground.  Ran errands, read the stories and had a nap.  They spent the rest of the afternoon playing together as if they'd been separated for months.
At bedtime, Little One picked up Her parking lot dialogue. 
She went on and on about Her new friends and all the cool stuff at school.  And She talked about how She'd seen some girls pointing at Her and whispering, and She knew they were talking about Her. 
"What do you think they were saying?" I asked. 
"Well.  I think prob-a-lee they was saying...  that they just love my fancy dress.  I did a lot of twirls today mommy, and I'm pretty sure everyone thought it was a great, great dress."
She told me how She'd made sure to sit by those girls for snack and talk to them.  She showed them how to count to thirty.  And they told Her it was great, and that Her dress looked like a princess. 

I hope She always expressed Herself without a care about what other people are doing.
I hope whenever She finds Herself pointed at and whispered about, She assumes the words are meant kindly. 
I hope She always has the confidence to approach new friends and find out that sometimes whispers are meant kindly. 
I hope She is always so brave, so open to new experiences, so appreciative of everything.
I hope She's always this excited about learning. 
I hope She always tells me about the parts of Her life I'm not in, especially as those parts grow like wisteria and overtake the parts I'm there for. 
I hope She always stops to comfort and love Her sister, no matter the situation. 
And I hope She stands by the promise to never ever leave Her.  Not really, not forever.
I'm pretty sure if Little One follows the precedent She has set for Herself, on Her first day of Preschool, at 3 years old... She'll do just fine. 
She may be the brand-new student. 
But from where I sit, She's a pretty good teacher, too.