Houdini....oops, I mean Stephen started preschool this week.
I call him Houdini due to his masterful escape from the classroom on his very first day! Drop off that morning went well (or so I thought). We had done the classroom visit and met his teachers...Stephen was VERY excited. He ran in all pumped up, got settled at the sandbox, wasn't throwing sand at anyone...I assumed all was well. Little did I know that he thought that we were both going to be students in the teddy bear class.
Apparently, a few minutes after I left (which all preschool mommies know they tell you to do...come, hug, reassure, leave...that's the drill...no sticking around), Stephen noticed that I went missing. Amongst the first day excitement of 17 kids being dropped off, parents taking pictures and figuring out where to put everything, Stephen slipped out the door.
Now, I know it is everyone's first instinct to blame the teachers! Why weren't they looking? There are many questions that could be asked. However, there are two things that I know. First, I know this teacher. She was Sam's teacher last year. She is an amazing, loving, conscientious woman and I am at peace entrusting her with the care of my children.
Secondly, I know how easily it could happen. I have worked in a variety of preschool settings and have learned that no matter how amazing you are, 17 preschoolers in one room is a necessary recipe for disaster. Things just happen. They eat paint...they pour glue on each other...they throw the occasional temper fit...and sometimes, they escape. But remember, preschool is a training ground. It's where we learn to get along with others, not to eat paint, and never ever to leave your teacher!
Most importantly, I know my child. Stephen is a vapor! He is here one minute, gone the next....he is the reason that I had to eat my words about how child restraints are inhumane. Stephen has a monkey backpack with a long tail that we can hold on to. It is nothing more than a glorified leash. It is the very same type of device that I used to be appalled at. But that was before I gave birth to a covert operative in training...
Thankfully, Stephen is pretty loud. He left the classroom with a clear mission, so he got right to it. He didn't have to wander the hall screaming my name for long before another mommy snagged him and took him to the office. After the mommy gave the school staff quite an earful, Stephen was returned to class with a clearer understanding of his boundaries
Here he is at the end of the day trying to look innocent....
I call him Houdini due to his masterful escape from the classroom on his very first day! Drop off that morning went well (or so I thought). We had done the classroom visit and met his teachers...Stephen was VERY excited. He ran in all pumped up, got settled at the sandbox, wasn't throwing sand at anyone...I assumed all was well. Little did I know that he thought that we were both going to be students in the teddy bear class.
Apparently, a few minutes after I left (which all preschool mommies know they tell you to do...come, hug, reassure, leave...that's the drill...no sticking around), Stephen noticed that I went missing. Amongst the first day excitement of 17 kids being dropped off, parents taking pictures and figuring out where to put everything, Stephen slipped out the door.
Now, I know it is everyone's first instinct to blame the teachers! Why weren't they looking? There are many questions that could be asked. However, there are two things that I know. First, I know this teacher. She was Sam's teacher last year. She is an amazing, loving, conscientious woman and I am at peace entrusting her with the care of my children.
Secondly, I know how easily it could happen. I have worked in a variety of preschool settings and have learned that no matter how amazing you are, 17 preschoolers in one room is a necessary recipe for disaster. Things just happen. They eat paint...they pour glue on each other...they throw the occasional temper fit...and sometimes, they escape. But remember, preschool is a training ground. It's where we learn to get along with others, not to eat paint, and never ever to leave your teacher!
Most importantly, I know my child. Stephen is a vapor! He is here one minute, gone the next....he is the reason that I had to eat my words about how child restraints are inhumane. Stephen has a monkey backpack with a long tail that we can hold on to. It is nothing more than a glorified leash. It is the very same type of device that I used to be appalled at. But that was before I gave birth to a covert operative in training...
Thankfully, Stephen is pretty loud. He left the classroom with a clear mission, so he got right to it. He didn't have to wander the hall screaming my name for long before another mommy snagged him and took him to the office. After the mommy gave the school staff quite an earful, Stephen was returned to class with a clearer understanding of his boundaries
Here he is at the end of the day trying to look innocent....
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