8:36 p.m. Tuesday Sept 19th
Its over. I hope. The day is over. As long as the kid goes to sleep (and he is tired enough that this should not even be an issue) my day can be over and I can go to bed too.
Our first day of school was very VERY traumatic for both Patrick and for me.
To start it off, he was up at 5 a.m. -- wide awake and happy. We put him back to sleep but he was up for the day just after 6. We did laundry, ate breakfast, got dressed and left for school at 8:20 to arrive 8:30.
Patrick started off OK. We found his cubby and hung up his coat. We met his teacher and then we all went upstairs together. He was clingy, but OK, he did refuse to climb the stairs by himself though and started to cry. We got upstairs and got settled... I found Patrick a toy similar to one we have that he just loves to pieces and all was going well until another little boy 'stole' it from him. Now I must clarify... Patrick and another little girl were playing with the same toy, quite co-operatively I might add for a 17 & 18 month old!!! Then this other little boy reached infront of them and swiped it. He didn't even play with it!!! He just moved it so they couldn't get it!! Patrick burst into tears, and I got the toy back, and a few minutes later the little twerp did it again. This time I got the teacher involved by saying "oh ____, we need to share that toy and Patrick was playing with it. Can you share it with us?" The teacher took it back and gave it to Patrick and the little girl, but it was all downhill from there.
There are 5 kids in his class. 1 is this little toy thief (who I actually have met before at a play group where he did the SAME toy swipe thing to Patrick with another toy), 1 has hearing difficulties, 1 isn't walking and 1 is just a little angel of a girl who is super well behaved and listens well. I really feel for this teacher -- she's got her hands FULL!!! We may or may not have the same group of kids when we go on Thursday.
After this toy fun, we had snack which did go over quite well I must admit. Then we made a 'craft' with glue (Patrick thought the paint brush to smooth the glue around was a spoon and ate glue with it -- yum! He wasn't too happy with the taste) and nature-walk items such as sticks, leaves and grass. Turned out nicely! I'm not sure I would want to be responsible for 5 kids with glue!!! She is a brave woman.
After snack and craft, we all cleaned up and she took the kids for a walk in the huge 6-seater buggy. Patrick got to ride up front because he is one of the LIGHTER kids!! I always thought he was 'sturdy' for his age... oh well! He had a GREAT time on the walk and I stayed behind. He was all smiles and happiness when he came back until we went back inside.... then he was super sad again -- crying and crying, red face and eyes and boogers everywhere.
The good news is that his nose and sinuses must be completely clear now. Yay!
We went back upstairs to play with toys, but there was no consoling Patrick. He was so tired and sad and upset that he actually pushed me away and just sat and cried. By this time it was closing in on 11 and I decided the best thing for us would be to pack up and leave before he fell asleep on the floor. We got his things together, put his coat on, and as soon as we exited the building he was pointing at the van and making noises.
We came home, ate lunch, and both collapsed. Patrick slept until 4 p.m. waking only briefly at 1:15 crying -- but was easily consoled and went back to sleep after a few minutes of wimpering. I also napped from about noon (with a brief wake up) till 3:15.
It was very tramatic for me to watch my child be so upset EVEN with me there to be of comfort. When Shaun came home we had a big talk about the situation and despite my reservations we are going to go again on Thursday and see if things improve. I think I will stay again, but, I am also open to the idea that I could leave him for a bit. I think part of his reaction was due to poor sleep and aggravated by the toy thief. I'm planning to make a list for the teacher of his favourite things (songs, activities, games) so that when I do leave she's got some tricks to distract him and keep him happy. I am also open to the idea that he is still too young for school -- we will see.
Our first day of school was very VERY traumatic for both Patrick and for me.
To start it off, he was up at 5 a.m. -- wide awake and happy. We put him back to sleep but he was up for the day just after 6. We did laundry, ate breakfast, got dressed and left for school at 8:20 to arrive 8:30.
Patrick started off OK. We found his cubby and hung up his coat. We met his teacher and then we all went upstairs together. He was clingy, but OK, he did refuse to climb the stairs by himself though and started to cry. We got upstairs and got settled... I found Patrick a toy similar to one we have that he just loves to pieces and all was going well until another little boy 'stole' it from him. Now I must clarify... Patrick and another little girl were playing with the same toy, quite co-operatively I might add for a 17 & 18 month old!!! Then this other little boy reached infront of them and swiped it. He didn't even play with it!!! He just moved it so they couldn't get it!! Patrick burst into tears, and I got the toy back, and a few minutes later the little twerp did it again. This time I got the teacher involved by saying "oh ____, we need to share that toy and Patrick was playing with it. Can you share it with us?" The teacher took it back and gave it to Patrick and the little girl, but it was all downhill from there.
There are 5 kids in his class. 1 is this little toy thief (who I actually have met before at a play group where he did the SAME toy swipe thing to Patrick with another toy), 1 has hearing difficulties, 1 isn't walking and 1 is just a little angel of a girl who is super well behaved and listens well. I really feel for this teacher -- she's got her hands FULL!!! We may or may not have the same group of kids when we go on Thursday.
After this toy fun, we had snack which did go over quite well I must admit. Then we made a 'craft' with glue (Patrick thought the paint brush to smooth the glue around was a spoon and ate glue with it -- yum! He wasn't too happy with the taste) and nature-walk items such as sticks, leaves and grass. Turned out nicely! I'm not sure I would want to be responsible for 5 kids with glue!!! She is a brave woman.
After snack and craft, we all cleaned up and she took the kids for a walk in the huge 6-seater buggy. Patrick got to ride up front because he is one of the LIGHTER kids!! I always thought he was 'sturdy' for his age... oh well! He had a GREAT time on the walk and I stayed behind. He was all smiles and happiness when he came back until we went back inside.... then he was super sad again -- crying and crying, red face and eyes and boogers everywhere.
The good news is that his nose and sinuses must be completely clear now. Yay!
We went back upstairs to play with toys, but there was no consoling Patrick. He was so tired and sad and upset that he actually pushed me away and just sat and cried. By this time it was closing in on 11 and I decided the best thing for us would be to pack up and leave before he fell asleep on the floor. We got his things together, put his coat on, and as soon as we exited the building he was pointing at the van and making noises.
We came home, ate lunch, and both collapsed. Patrick slept until 4 p.m. waking only briefly at 1:15 crying -- but was easily consoled and went back to sleep after a few minutes of wimpering. I also napped from about noon (with a brief wake up) till 3:15.
It was very tramatic for me to watch my child be so upset EVEN with me there to be of comfort. When Shaun came home we had a big talk about the situation and despite my reservations we are going to go again on Thursday and see if things improve. I think I will stay again, but, I am also open to the idea that I could leave him for a bit. I think part of his reaction was due to poor sleep and aggravated by the toy thief. I'm planning to make a list for the teacher of his favourite things (songs, activities, games) so that when I do leave she's got some tricks to distract him and keep him happy. I am also open to the idea that he is still too young for school -- we will see.
posted by Deb at
9/19/2006 08:41:00 PM
