“No!” Miles said defiantly as we pulled up to daycare today.
“No what?” I replied. “Because if you’re saying no to school, I got news for you…”
Despite this suggested misgiving, Miles entered daycare sans further protests. I carried him back to the toddler room then plopped him on the floor.
“Come on, Miles!” his teacher said. “Let’s go get your hands washed!”
Rolling up his sleeves, Miles took emphatic strides into the bathroom, disappearing around the corner as I put his jacket and bag in his cubby. I could hear the water in the adjacent room stop running, and then his teacher, watching from the doorway, said, “Well, you’re not supposed to get the paper towel yourself, but okay.”
Miles emerged moments later, slapping his hands into an increasingly crumpled paper towel, which he packed tightly into a ball and tossed into the trash can as he walked past.
I just shook my head as I watched him. “Well, I guess he’s all grown up now.”
“I’ve got men in here now!” his teacher said. “They’re not babies anymore!”
The Perils (& Pride) of Paternity 