The First Day of Kindergarten

On Friday we attended the Kindergarten meet and greet at Hayden's school. It was horrible chaos. SO many kids, so many rude parents. I was ready to get the hell out of there in ten seconds but had to get information that took twenty minutes to attain. Brian had made the mistake of telling Hayden that if he didn't like his new class he didn't have to go to school. So right about when I was ready to get the hell away from the crowd Hayden was over it and had decided he didn't want to go to school.
All weekend he was anxious in anticipation of the impending doom of kindergarten.
I took Monday off work so I could take him to school and comfort him as much as possible beforehand.
Brian got home from work in time to come take him with me. We walked up to the school where we had been for the meet & greet and started to walk into the hallway when a school employee called at us "Where are you going?" in a rude voice. Brian replied "Um, to the Kindergarten class." And we were firmly told we were not to go that way and that the class didn't open for fifteen more minutes.
There were no balloons, no welcome of any sort for the kids. There were no signs to direct us new parents to the place we needed to drop off our anxious kindergarteners. It was a completely different route from the meet and greet and the school employees were not very nice to us confused parents.
So we waited outside for in the 108 degree Las Vegas heat for the playground gates to let us in.
Then Hayden started crying. Not just a nervous cry but a wailing "Get me the hell out of here! I told you people I don't want to be here!" cry. And all the other kids and parents watched. We tried for almost ten minutes to calm him down. We pulled out the big guns with threats of returning new video games but he wouldn't budge, he just cried louder.

When they opened the gates to the playground the other kids rushed in to play. He just stood with his head down wailing. A teacher came up and smiled at us gingerly and said "I had four of these this morning." Which was probably an attempt to comfort me but instead made me wonder "WHY MY KID!" Why did my kid have to be THE ONE right now. No other kids were crying right now, just mine.

We walked him into his class and the teacher quickly told the kids to hang their backpacks up on a hook. As soon as he walked away from us to hang his bag he was done crying. I rushed out the door but Brian stood in the doorway with a crowd of parents making sure he was ok. I tried to tell him to leave before Hayden saw him and started crying but he asked if he was ok and Hayden said "Bye Daddy!" and went about his business.
I had really hoped the teacher would be a lot more accommodating to the parents sending their child into her care for the first time, but instead it was kind of like "Sit your kids down and get the hell out!"
I didn't get to talk to her at the meet and greet or on his first day. I understand that she's overwhelmed with parents and kids but really she's TEACHING MY KID so I'd like to at least have a five minute conversation with the chick.
Brian held my hand as we walked to the parking lot and squeezed it with love when he saw me crying.
We went home and hung out for the whole two and a half hours Hayden was at school.
We waited outside the same gate while the kids filed out. He was away from the group trying to find his sunglasses in his backpack and holding a hand puppet he had made. Brian called to him through the fence and he ran over to get in line.
"I LOVE SCHOOL! I WANT TO COME BACK!!!" he told us through the fence. We melted right there.