The daycare my kid went to was on the first floor of our apartment building. At pickup time, I'd stand by the door. My kid would change clothes, put on their backpack, put on their socks, and once they got to the entrance I'd wait for them to put their own shoes on. Meanwhile I'd log the pickup time and sign. Once the shoes were on, a 90-degree bow to the teacher, and out we'd go. That was the routine.
But one day, the director herself came out. Looking genuinely worried. "During gym time today, they scraped against the wall a little. We already put ointment on it, but…"
Honestly, I wasn't worried at all. Maybe it's a dad thing. Stuff like that happens all the time at home too. I just smiled and said, "That happens, no worries. I'll wash it up again at home and put on some Madecassol and a bandage." And we said goodbye, smiling.
I thought about what that director did, though. Not even her own homeroom kid, and she still came out herself, every time, to be the one to tell me. Almost like "let me be the one who gets scolded for this." You could feel, even from the outside, how much the teachers there trusted and respected her. Isn't that what good leadership looks like? Actually, I think that might be exactly where the standard for a good daycare lives.
At some point, chatting briefly and smiling with the director at pickup just became a natural part of the routine. I think it was good for my kid too.
I came to realize that how you work through a mistake together matters a lot more than the mistake itself.