My toddler is flunking out of preschool... LOL it's not that bad, but today it feels that way. She is three and this is her third year in the same loving, nurturing preschool environment. I've only enrolled her in one half day and one full school day. To give you all the background and details would take too much of your time and typing, so since this is a blog I will spare you.Megan typically has a hard time with transitions and being apart from me but she does always manage to adapt and enjoy herself given time. The assistant director of her preschool called me this morning after Megan's third straight hour of crying. They asked me to come pick her up and this is the second request of that nature. The preschool thinks she is under emotional stress and they want to try to back up and re-introduce her slowly. Both times they have called me to pick her up, I arrive and she is happy, content and in my interpretation almost smug...She got her way and is of course going to comply with them now.
The part I stuggle with is the request of the assistant director. She asked us to be positive and encouraging to Megan. To tell her how proud of her we are for making it through a half day of preschool when for the last two years she has been making it through full days!
"I'm proud of you honey, yea you threw a fit until they called me to pick you up, but way to go! You made it even if you were screaming and hollering the whole time...!":)
Humor and sarcasm are intended here just in case you couldn't read into that.
I'm frustrated. Emotional - yes. My eyes are raw. Did I ever expect to have the child that was observed for behavioral problems by the director and assistant director of a large prestigous school? The waiting list for her class is some 40 kids long I've been told. What's a mom to do? Is positive reinforcement really going to help her or am I encouraging the bad behavior? Am I missing the boat or are they?
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1 comment:
According to Dr. Brazelton (In his book Touchpoints): "A child is likely to have a delayed reaction to her first separation from home. Her renewed dependence may surprise you. Long after the initial adjustment, she'll regress to a clinging protest..." etc. I wonder if she started doing this again as a reaction or delayed reaction to having a new sibling? Either way, it appears to be relatively normal behavior and not due to parenting - especially since it is the same school, you are doing the same parenting and the behavior is new. You can always double check thier advice with other parenting resources on line or via books. And hang in there- by the time they get to be 18 most kids don't cry when thier parents leave and in fact rejoice in it.
- Tiffany
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