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Josh at School

 Joshie's first teacher has spent a bit too much time with two-year-olds. She has embraced the concept of parallel play.

When you try to speak to her, she interrupts you by loudly barking a question that is unrelated to the thing you were talking about.

I say, "Just to give you context about why we're looking for half-day--"

And she says, "WHERE DO YOU LIVE??"

She says, "This is really a Life Skills class I'm teaching. How to share, how to be a friend, how to listen to a story. It's a class for babies--but, also, many ADULTS could benefit from it!" She pauses for a laugh.

Josh picks up a styrofoam peanut from the sensory science table. He puts it in his mouth. "Don't do that," I say. Josh stares at me, then calmly reinserts the peanut into his mouth.

I'm wearing a Buffalo tee shirt, and as I try to describe my son's napping schedule, the teacher gets excited. "OH MY GOD, " she says. "Are you from Buffalo? Our receptionist is from Buffalo. I've literally never met anyone else from Buffalo. You have to meet."

This meeting occurs. My new friend and I take up the scintillating subject of Buffalo, and soon we've strayed to vegan bakeries, and NJ train stations, and the merits of a local consignment store. I have no idea why I'm meandering through this conversation, and I'm worried that my boredom and confusion will shine through my eyes, so I think my face really just looks weirdly conflicted for several minutes.

There are applications, invitations to pre-opening meet-and-greets, casual references to the "pandemic learning gap" ..... 

This is my life, for now.
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