Monday, June 18, 2007
We survived the first week of daycare...barely.
Snuggle Bug survived his first week of daycare and, by default, so did we. It started out to be a rough week. This daycare thing is not for the faint of heart and it's caused our hearts much pain and sorrow.
This first 3 days last week, Snuggle Bug cried every day that we've dropped him off. In fact, some mornings he cried when we put him in the car and would say, "No go sool" (which means, "No go to school"). He's also said, "Daddy no go work." and "Mommy, get back here." as I'm walking away and leaving him in the daycare center.
The mornings I tried to keep our parting brief were ugly. I had to peel him off of me, as he's crying and screaming, and hand him over to the teacher and then walk away with the sound of his hysterical sobbing ringing in my ears. Needless to say, I was crying as well as I got to my car and drove to work.
Wednesday I tried a different approach, against the advice of many others who have been there, done that. I brought Snuggle Bug in to his classroom and instead of handing him over and quickly exiting, I asked him to show me the building blocks that I'm told he likes. I carried him over to the blocks and sat down with him in my lap and played with him for 10 minutes or so before leaving. When I told him I had to go to work, his little lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears. The teacher came over and got him and he started crying, but it wasn't the full-on hystrical sobbing that it had been the other days. Thursday worked the same way. Friday, Oronzo dropped him off and went in and played with him a bit before heading to work and it helped again.
Every day last week I called to check on him and I was always told the same thing, "He's having a good day, really. He's playing with blocks and he went down the slide. He's not crying."
As much as we dislike having Snuggle Bug in daycare, it hasn't been all bad. He's making new little friends. There's one little boy in particular that he plays with a lot, or so I'm told.
The daycare seems to do a pretty good job of keeping the kids busy with various activities. Last week they made raindrops, worked on colors and shapes, talked about sea creatures and water, and did some painting.
The "classroom" itself is full of projects that the kids have completed, although I have to wonder how much of the work was actually done by the kids and how much was done by the teacher.
Snuggle Bug's favorite activity is the painting. Kindercare sent him home with one of his projects that he did on Friday and we're going to include it in a packet that we send to Oronzo's mom for her birthday.
So, the bottom line is that our first week with Snuggle Bug in daycare wasn't fun, but we survived and I'm hopeful that things will get better with time.
And now, I leave you with a Carrie Underwood song that I have on my iPod nano that has brought comfort to me throughout this whole daycare ordeal because I'm trying to turn all of this over to Jesus.
Oh, and stay tuned for some adoption related posts this week. I have much to share with you, if you're interested!
This first 3 days last week, Snuggle Bug cried every day that we've dropped him off. In fact, some mornings he cried when we put him in the car and would say, "No go sool" (which means, "No go to school"). He's also said, "Daddy no go work." and "Mommy, get back here." as I'm walking away and leaving him in the daycare center.
The mornings I tried to keep our parting brief were ugly. I had to peel him off of me, as he's crying and screaming, and hand him over to the teacher and then walk away with the sound of his hysterical sobbing ringing in my ears. Needless to say, I was crying as well as I got to my car and drove to work.
Wednesday I tried a different approach, against the advice of many others who have been there, done that. I brought Snuggle Bug in to his classroom and instead of handing him over and quickly exiting, I asked him to show me the building blocks that I'm told he likes. I carried him over to the blocks and sat down with him in my lap and played with him for 10 minutes or so before leaving. When I told him I had to go to work, his little lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears. The teacher came over and got him and he started crying, but it wasn't the full-on hystrical sobbing that it had been the other days. Thursday worked the same way. Friday, Oronzo dropped him off and went in and played with him a bit before heading to work and it helped again.
Every day last week I called to check on him and I was always told the same thing, "He's having a good day, really. He's playing with blocks and he went down the slide. He's not crying."As much as we dislike having Snuggle Bug in daycare, it hasn't been all bad. He's making new little friends. There's one little boy in particular that he plays with a lot, or so I'm told.
The daycare seems to do a pretty good job of keeping the kids busy with various activities. Last week they made raindrops, worked on colors and shapes, talked about sea creatures and water, and did some painting.
The "classroom" itself is full of projects that the kids have completed, although I have to wonder how much of the work was actually done by the kids and how much was done by the teacher.
Snuggle Bug's favorite activity is the painting. Kindercare sent him home with one of his projects that he did on Friday and we're going to include it in a packet that we send to Oronzo's mom for her birthday.So, the bottom line is that our first week with Snuggle Bug in daycare wasn't fun, but we survived and I'm hopeful that things will get better with time.
And now, I leave you with a Carrie Underwood song that I have on my iPod nano that has brought comfort to me throughout this whole daycare ordeal because I'm trying to turn all of this over to Jesus.
Oh, and stay tuned for some adoption related posts this week. I have much to share with you, if you're interested!
Labels: daycare, faith, Oronzo, Snuggle Bug
12 Comments:
I love this song. Every time I hear I my eyes tear up.
Hope this week goes better! And I'm glad you figured out that Snuggle Bug needs some time with you to help him acclimate to day care every morning. That's some good mommy intuition.
It would break my heart too to leave when he's crying like that. It looks like a great place though. I hope this week is better!
we are presently adopting from China so I am looking forward to your posts...Love the picture..
praying for you
Whew! I feel like Ive been holding my breath this past week.
The question is .... did Oronzo scream and cry when you had to send him off to work? or did he make new friends as well :)
Of COURSE we're interested in adoption news. Always!! I'm so glad you survived your first week of daycare... even if it was barely. Even leaving my babies with my mom and sister, I still have bad days and will cry on the way to work. It's NOT easy, no matter who is watching them or long you've been doing it. I'll still keep you in my thoughts and prayers!!
The slow drop off worked really well for our children -- they begin to see the space as a place you feel positively about and would be willing to spend time in, and as you spend time speaking with his caregivers he'll start to see that they are people you would choose to be around . . .
Though I wish I didn't have to do it (why can't there just be enough hours in the day?!) despite the difficulties a little daycare can be a fantastic thing.
Oh yeah and really looking forward to adoption posts.
My heart goes out to you w/ the daycare thing. We have to find a daycare pronto, and I'm afraid of what it will be like for Mikey. Hope that this we is going well! :)
I just wanted to reassure you that the daycare drop offs will get better. At 18 months now, Cookie runs into her room at the daycare and eagerly joins her friends and teachers (and usually breakfast). Sure, sometimes there is the obligatory whining, but nothing compared to how hard it was at the beginning. Whew - I so relate.
Glad to hear you survived the first week! It is so tough leaving them when they are crying - believe me I know! You're definitely not alone in your feelings there. I remember just dropping Kayla off when I would go to MOPS and she would start crying...I would be in tears too as I was leaving. There is just something not right about walking away from your crying toddler! Even though I KNEW she was ok 5 min after I was gone, I KNEW she was having fun and being taken care of, it still tore my heart out to see her crying like that. She did that when she started preschool too...broke my heart to see her reaching her arms out for me calling "mommy!" I hope each week gets easier for all 3 of you!
Im glad to hear you all survived.
I can appreciate how hard t he daycare week went, especially the first week. The 1st week is always hard, and it was probably harder since your son is old enough to understand you are leaving. It will get better belive it or not. My daughter started daycare at 2 months old, she is 2 1/2 now and has always went to the same daycare and loves it. She still has days when she cries when I leave, but yet she NEVER wants to go home either. Sometimes its harder on Mommy than the kids. Hopefully this helps!
And by the way, I think the slow drop off is the best way.
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