The first ever picnic!!

Kutu went for his first ever field trip from school today...:) It was a short picnic to the "Guindy Children's Park".

I was informed about this trip on Monday and from then I have been all jittery about the whole thing. Kutu going somewhere without me? ME...his beloved mother!! He was going to go somewhere without the accompaniment of any of his family members? Would the overworked stressed teachers be able to look after him? He is obviously not the apple of their eyes. Just one among the numerous kids in the playschool...
What if he runs helter skelter in the park? Who will run behind this little brat to see that he doesn't hurt himself? What if he jumps high and low on seeing a monkey there? He is a little monkey himself. And seriously...having studied in the campus adjacent to the Park I know that the monkeys there are big time bullies. They used to pester the life out of all us in the hostel!! What if one of those bullies my little baby? Who will give him a reassuring hug if he is scared? Would he starve himself? Will he even eat what I pack for him? God!!! So many unmentionable scarey "What if"s were crossing my mind!!

For the past two days I was bombarding everyone from the teachers in the school, to the mothers of the other kids to the aayah with so many questions. Rajat(kutu's friend in playschool)'s mom was a very patient soul. As she is a stay-at-home mother she gets to meet the teachers and the other parents everyday. God bless her for giving my rants a patient hearing. :)

Why send him at all amidst all this tension and doubts? I just wanted him to go and have a blast and enjoy himself!! Even if it means that I was going to breakdown out of nervousness and anxiety.

On the D-Day, i.e., today kutu was extra fussy to eat his breakfast, to come for a bath...ok..generally he was cranky. Somehow breakfast was thrust down his throat and he was given a bath. There was even a dress code for the kids going for the picnic today. There were asked to wear any orange colour dress. So he wore that and packed his school bag with the snacks and water bottle and Off to School we went!! :)

Once in school, parents were asked to move aside out of the view of the children till they got into the van. So I was hiding behind a wall and watching him obediently hold his teacher's hands and board the van. As soon as the van started, I took an autorickshaw to come to office. I asked the auto driver to follow the van! The "Guindy Children's Park" en route to my office you see!! :) But....I would have probably done that even if the picnic spot was at the other end of the city. Yeah i know....Someday in the future when kutu reads this, he is going to scream out "Amma you actually did that!!! GOD!!" But thats ok. How else do I pacify all the demons in my mind as well as ensure that my baby doesn't miss out on all the fun in the school.

Whether he actually had a rocking time is something I am yet to know. WIll have to go home and talk to him. I hope he did. I heard from Rajat's mom that the kids had a nice time but came back all sweating and tired and sleepy. Now that gave rise to another "what if"...What if he falls sick because of that? Anyway will cross the bridge when it comes. And that too shall pass. :)