School

I finally registered A for school and I feel so relieved. This was my biggest concern with our move, that she would end up suffering because I moved her out of the cachement area for a highly-rated school and into a neighbourhood where the local public school is rated a 0.1 out of 10 by the Fraser Institute. However, now I can breathe a sigh of relief because she'll be attending a program (unrated at present by the Fraser Institute) that is entirely in line with my values and educational philosophy.

It may be that children are born with certain aptitudes and that nothing we do can change that, but I really think nurture matters. I want to give A every opportunity to become the best human being she can be, to be loving and conscientious and informed and able. I know that living between two warring parents will make it hard to be her, which is why I am doing everything I can to lessen the impact of that conflict, but I can only do so much on my own.

Hopefully being in a small, specialized school will be exactly what she needs to feel safe and supported. I wish I could have attended the school she'll be going to. It is beautiful and peaceful and a place where I know bad behaviours will be discouraged.

I'm also happy that I switched A to a home daycare near here rather than leave her downtown at the Co-op daycare, which was chaotic and disruptive. A loves her present daycare provider and is learning French and having fun playing on real grass and going to a bilingual playgroup. The drive there is also much easier than travelling downtown and back during rush hour.

I suppose the lesson for me in all of this is that things do work out as they should. This relates back to my previous post. I believe in destiny in all kinds of ways. E does not. Still, we are happy together and I'm happy with my choice to move into the house and maybe someday I'll be reconciled, if not happy, to A being with me half-time after having assured her of a good start with me over several super-nurturing years where she received my undivided attention. If she's in a lovely, supportive school that I've researched and chosen, I can be happy about that too.