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If you've been following this column, you know well that I've been pretty much all about potty training for the past month. Well, here's something new ― the twins have started preschool. Yes, school.
Sound abrupt, doesn't it? It was abrupt.
Some moms contemplate for days and stay up nights thinking again and again whether, when and where to send their children to school. Me, it was pretty much an over-the-weekend decision.
I had to suddenly let go of my nanny who helped take care of the girls for the past five months they've been in Korea.
Why I had to let go of her so suddenly is a subject that needs a separate entry of its own, so I won't go into that.
There was no way on earth I'd be able to look after all three girls all by myself so instead of hiring a new nanny, I thought, why not school?
Private ''play school'' was the best option for my twins. It's a bit pricey (1 million won per child per month), but there's no waiting list and the student-teacher ratio seemed most ideal.
I narrowed my list to two potentials and after speaking to the headmaster, I chose the one closest to where I'm staying.
Since everything happened so fast, there wasn't much time for anticipation, anxiety and all that good stuff moms and dads typically go through before the big first day of school.
In fact, I was so ''cool'' about saying goodbye to the girls that I even felt a bit guilty.
Now, that's mom. Baby A and B took the situation a whole lot different.
Both started off pretty well as they walked into the classroom and immediately began touching and playing with all kinds of toys and stuffed animals.
But as soon as I put on my jacket and appeared as if I was leaving, all hell broke loose and the girls began crying and clinging onto me for dear life.
The headmaster instructed me to leave promptly without extending my farewell. She said it will only make matters worse. I took her word and fled.
It was not easy seeing my little babies crying in the arms of a perfect stranger, but I knew that moment was one of those strong mom moments.
As also instructed, I didn't go home. I waited at a nearby Starbucks.
Although I signed up for a four-hour program, I was told that the girls would probably only stay for one hour for the first couple of days.
So as expected, after about 50 minutes, my phone rang and after picking up, I could immediately hear Baby B crying in the background.
I ran back to school and the moment I opened the classroom door, the girls looked at me like they've never looked at me before.
They can't talk yet so who knows what they were thinking? Probably completely scared that mommy would never come back.
We shared a few minutes of dramatic reunion, said our goodbyes to the teacher and returned home in one piece.
It usually takes a good 30 minutes to put the girls down for naptime, but on that first day of school, we set a record. I think they were gone in less than two minutes. It really must have been a draining experience for them.
I was afraid that the first day would remain in their memory as traumatic, but very fortunately, all afternoon, the girls showed positive reaction every time I mentioned school to them.
How do I know? A lot of hand clapping, smiling and dancing.
I assumed that, in between all the crying, they learned new dance moves to their favorite nursery rhymes.
So although the headmaster warned me that the second and third day would be worse than the first, I was pretty optimistic that Baby A and B would do better. And they did.
Today, although Baby B, at first, refused to even lay foot in the school building, the kids ended up staying for a good two hours. It's not that the girls didn't cry at all, but the time and intensity lessened, or so I was told.
I told myself that I'd give all of us a week to see how everyone adjusts to this entirely new step. Maybe it's too early to tell, but so far, I'm feeling pretty good that the girls may be in for an exciting experience for the two months they have left in Korea.
Finally something other than potty training!
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