Something that Makes My Head Go *KABLOOEY*
I mentioned in passing that Alexis has officially moved to the Preschool Room at daycare. It was a very big deal, both for her and for me. Of course, I was totally all WAAA! WAAA! MY BABY IS GROWING UP! Alexis was all WAAA! WAAA! I DON'T WANNA MOVE! Fortunately, we both survived. Although, there was the little matter of the Introduction Letter that nearly landed me in the asylum.
The Introduction Letter was a note sent home that seems to be a standard sort of letter given to all parents of preschool kids. It outlines the rules of the room. It's mostly stuff like no toys from home, kids need to be able to identify their own coat, blah, blah, blah. Totally reasonable and expected. But, one little section caught my attention and I fixated on it for a solid week. (OK, so I'm STILL fixating on it. Whatever.)
"Preschool children should walk into the center, and not be carried by his parents. This encourages children to feel confident in themselves and have a more mature attitude."
*KABLOOOEY* (That was my head exploding. Again.)
Ignoring the grammatical mess that is that statement, the whole thing just bunched my panties. (Keep in mind that Crazy Daycare Owner Lady is very condescending, especially in person, and I'm not at all the only person who feels that way.) Someone trying to tell me whether or not I should carry my kid 20 feet from the parking lot to the door? Really?
*KABLOOOEY*
Alexis usually gets carried into daycare. There are multiple reasons for it. For one, I don't want to deal with snow/salt getting on her shoes. Crazy Daycare Lady will go Linda Blair on my ass if the kid gets the carpet dirty--I know this from experience. Another major reason is that Alexis is a cute little snugglebug in the morning. She LOVES to cuddle early in the day, and usually spends a great portion of our getting ready time hanging on me like a leech. It can be a bit annoying when I'm trying to hurry, but I figure there will come a day when she doesn't even want to be in the same room as me, so I should probably milk the cuddles for as long as I can. Most of the time I haul her in with her head on my shoulder, and she and I whisper back and forth about what she is going to do that day.
I enjoy that little moment with her. A lot.
So, telling me that I'm doing something WRONG by carrying her inside? Irks me. A lot.
And the part about encouraging confidence and maturity? *KABLOOOEY*
Ahem.
I would LOVE to poll the parents of grown-ups I consider confident and mature. I'd be willing to bet a lifetime of Starbucks that there is no correlation between getting carried 20 feet once per day and whether or not a person grows up to be confident and mature. The mere implication drives. me. batty.
So far I'm ignoring the "rule." Nobody has said anything yet. If they do? *KABLOOOEY*
(Feel free to tell me I'm being crazy. I can take it.)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Reader Comments (56)
No, you're totally not crazy. I say ignore away! All too soon she'll be too big to carry and you'll kick yourself if you don't cuddle with her while you can!
I've got your back on this one. The only reason I don't carry my nearly 6 year old into kindergarten is because he WANTS to be independent. The nerve. Enjoy it. Milk it. Feel free to Kablooey on Crazy Daycare Lady on my behalf, too, if she says anything.
Yeah, I'm with you. Childcare workers can sometimes be a bit rigid and/or a little insane. She's your girl, so if you want to carry her, go right ahead.
(does it sometimes seem their crazy rules are only there to make it easier on them??? You're paying them, so they should suck it up a little, huh? I'm just askin.)
Okay, I can see why the preschool teacher moms advocate letting a child walk rather than be carried if it helps with transition and prevents class-disrupting melt-downs. However, if at all possible carry your child as often as possible because you will miss it when they're too big. Just tried to carry my sick, 80 lb., 11 year-old son into the doctor's office and couldn't. He would let me! Can't blame him, really. But he was soooo sick he could hardly make it in and mommy-bear wanted to protect and care for her cub, ya know? So enjoy it while it's still possible, as much as possible. It will be gone someday.
No judgment from me, since Little Man's teachers think I'm the psycho overprotective mother because I walk my child to class instead of leaving him at the drop off at the door.
Why do I walk him to class? Because he asked me to. I left him a few times at the drop off and one day, when we pulled into the parking lot he begged me to walk him to his class.
There are many things I'm not going to let my child manipulate me with.
But if my child asks me to take two minutes out of my day to park my car and walk him to his class then I will. And the teachers can stuff their attitude and think what they want of me.
Because me and my child know the truth.
And so do you and Alexis.
So I say if both of you are happy with the carrying arrangement, then screw the memo and the rules.
You're crazy...but for many OTHER reasons. Kudos to you and any other parent who takes the time to show their kids how important they are. I think that parents who take the time to cuddle and shower their kids with affection are less likely to have kids that turn out to be messed up later in life. You'll know when to cut back, and she'll let you know when she wants her independence.