Breakfast Drama

Ruby's school offers free breakfast to all kids, and this year they have a new system where you go to the cafeteria, grab your breakfast, and return to your classroom to eat it there (research shows that kids are more likely to eat a school breakfast if they can eat it in their classroom/homeroom). I decided to wait for her and walk her to her classroom because she packed a lunch from home today and I wasn't sure where it should be kept (and to make sure Ruby remembered). She went into the cafeteria and came back a couple minutes later empty-handed. When asked about this, she said she had changed her mind. And I said, "No honey, you need to eat something." Normally she eats at home and this is actually her SECOND breakfast, but today she slept late and and we figured she could just eat FIRST breakfast at school - so I definitely wanted her to eat. At this point her lip started to quiver and I knew something was up, so I asked if she was confused or scared about anything. As it turns out, when she went into the cafeteria they handed her the breakfast bag for the items, she got confused thinking it was for lunch (which she didn't need because we packed one), and handed the bag back. After realizing her error, she was confused and embarrassed and didn't know what to do so she just left.

This is the point where I began fighting off tears of my own.

I told her it was no big deal - people make silly mistakes all the time - and we walked back into the lunchroom together for her breakfast.

When I left she was smiling and happily eating breakfast with her table-mates, and I waited until I was safely out of eyesight before crying about my sweet, sweet girl being confused and scared and surrounded by the great big giant other children.

Do you think anyone would notice if I disguised myself as a plant and followed her around all day long?