Learning

Miles has now been at daycare for one week! Drop offs are still hard. He cries and it breaks my heart. Lingering makes it worse, but just shoving him off to his teacher and running out while he cries seems extra harsh. So I leave the school broken-hearted and feeling miserable no matter what I do.

Lately I've taken to hiding in the hallway until he stops crying just to make myself feel better. It's silly, I know, but he never cries for more than a minute or two... and I just can't stomach walking away while he's crying.

A few times he cries as soon as I pick him up. I don't know if he's holding that grudge until I get back - and seeing me makes it all fresh again. Or, if he's crying with relief. But either way, heart = broken all over again.

His teacher insists that he's doing good and learning the routine well so far. She just seems a little strict and he's only 2! I go back and forth between -- he's still a baby - she needs to lighten up on him AND he can't be coddled forever though -- on a daily (if not more frequently) basis.

But... the good news is that he is learning SO much already. It's only been a week, but I can see such a change in his behavior. He's acting like a big boy more and more every day. He's talking much more - the other day he busted out with "Oh NO" when he dropped something. I'm sure most of you are shocked that he hasn't said this by now. And it is what it is - he hasn't. But I think school (and probably just the fact that he's getting older) has brought it out of him... FINALLY!

He even looks the part -- all grown up!

He's doing things like - walking down our hall to the door with his hands behind his back (like he has to do in line at school), sitting down to eat his meals at home, playing with his puzzles at home ALL the time now, clapping and saying HORRAY constantly (I'm assuming his teacher does that), and saying "oh, oh ya" over and over again (another thing I'm assuming he learned from his teacher).

I know he'll continue to get better and better. And I'm glad he's going so he can play with the other kids and learn. I just really struggle with their expectations sometimes. Today his teacher told me that I need to work with Miles to help him learn how to unfold his own napkin at snack time. What.On.Earth?!

First of all - he's been there all of 5 days and he's learning literally hundreds of new things every day - from circle time (they have to sit this far apart from each other, with their hands in their laps, criss cross, quietly) to all the required eating structure to the basic class structure and his teacher is worried because this ONE thing he's refusing to do?! SERIOUSLY? Give him another week at least before you try to make me feel like he's "slow''. Kid just doesn't care about opening a napkin right now. He's probably over-whelmed with everything else!

And secondly - it's a freaking napkin and he's TWO! We really have to make this an issue!?!?

Third - I could MAYBE understand if he had trouble with his dexterity in general and opening the napkin was a suggested way to help his dexterity improve. But - no. It came down to the fact that all the other kids have to open their napkin and wanted to know why Miles didn't want to open his.

And finally fourth - SHE'S the freaking teacher. Am I not paying HER to teach him those things?! If it's so important to her that he do it, she needs to teach him. I'm not all that worried about napkin-opening skills right now so I'm gonna leave that to her since it's her JOB and she seems to be worried about it.

Obviously I need to take a chill pill here, but common. I just feel like this has the potential to get out of hand. Like those commercials to teach your children how to read at the age of 2. Ok, I see that it's possible - but I just wonder - WHY? Why teach them to read at 2?? Aren't they just going to be bored in Kindergarden at public school?? And then get in trouble? Let them play. Don't fret over the unfolded napkin. At 2 it should be about singing songs, playing games and having fun. Yes, he should be learning also... I just want there to be the right balance. And if she's worried about napkins so much I don't want the expectations to be so high that at the age of 2 Miles already feels like a failure. I just want him to play and have fun until I can get him and coddle him some more.

Maybe even extra for leaving him there in the first place...