Teen Dad Series

First Day of Daycare (Michael & Kol)

 Michael had sworn he'd set Kol's clothes out the night before. He could vividly picture him tossing the shirt and shorts onto the back of the couch right before he'd gotten himself ready for bed.

So what had happened?

Michael found himself on his hands and knees searching throughout the apartment, looking for the clothes in desperation. Kol was in the middle of eating his breakfast, but if they didn't get going in the next thirty minutes, he would be late for his first day of daycare. And Michael would be late for work.

Again.

Michael sighed, pacing around the living room for the fourth or fifth time that morning. It wasn't like it was possible for the clothes to up and walk away. He just couldn't understand what was going on.

Feeling irritated, Michael called his mom.

"I swear I put them out before I went to bed. I have no idea where they could be."

Always calm and rational, his mother said very patiently, "Why don't you just pick out something else for Kol to wear?"

Michael stopped in his tracks.

"Oh yeah."

He could hear his mom chuckling softly. "Send me pictures! Give Kol a kiss for me, too!"

Michael hung up, quickly going to pick out something else for Kol to wear.

In the process, he found the outfit he'd picked out crumpled in a pile on the floor of Kol's closet. He knew for a fact that he hadn't been the one to put them there. Which meant there was only one other person who could possibly be behind this.

Michael picked up the clothes, going back into the kitchen and holding them out to Kol. "Did you hide your clothes from me?"

Kol pouted, nodding very slowly.

Michael knelt down to look him in the eyes. "Why did you do that?"

Kol looked down at his hands in his lap. "I don't want to go to daycare."

Michael was surprised to hear that. He'd been so excited when they'd gone shopping for all the supplies he'd needed and all the new clothes he'd get to wear. It had never crossed his mind that Kol wouldn't be just as excited about actually going to daycare.

"Why not, bud?"

Kol sniffled, rubbing at his eyes. "I want to stay with you, Daddy."

Michael sighed, running his fingers through Kol's hair as he thought. He didn't want to leave Kol either. In fact, it was his least favorite thing to do. But Michael needed to work. And Kol was getting too old to be trapped in his grandparents' house without anyone to play with. It was time for him to interact with kids his own age.

Michael tried to convince Kol with a smile. "But you'll have so much fun. When you get to daycare, you won't miss me at all."

"But I will!" Kol's lower lip quivered. "I don't want to go!"

Michael hugged him gently, keeping his voice quiet as he comforted his little boy. He felt bad, but it wasn't like he could just not have Kol go to daycare. He was paying for this already. He couldn't afford to just let this tuition go to waste.

Michael was allowed to walk Kol all the way to the classroom luckily. Kol clung on to his pants leg the whole time. They stood there for a moment, both looking into the classroom in utter silence.

Finally, Michael knelt down and smiled at Kol. "You'll only be here for a little bit, okay?" Kol only pouted in response. Michael scrambled to think of something to say to put his mind at ease. "I bet they have a firetruck you can play with."

Kol's expression brightened just slightly. "Really?"

Michael nodded. "And you can make friends who will play with you."

Kol looked a little more at ease. "I can play with them?"

"Of course!" Michael lifted his fist up. "So I'll see you later, okay?"

Kol bumped his tiny fist against Michael's. "Okay."