Well, we just started Day 3 with the new daycare this morning and Christopher is having a really hard time adjusting. Daddy has started doing drop off by himself and I will admit, he's much better at being able to leave without feeling the need to stay for a long period of time to comfort the kids.
Yesterday morning, Christopher left the house fine but Daddy said he started crying when they pulled into the parking lot. He left with Kendall still doing OK but Chris was crying and holding his arms out like he was begging Daddy to take him back home. I'm SO glad I wasn't there to see that because I know I wouldn't have been able to leave. We let them take a stufffed animal from home with the hopes it would help to comfort them throughout the day.
I talked to the Assistant Principal around 11:30 am and she said they had settled in fine and were playing and interacting so I decided to let them do a full day. I picked up around 5:00 pm and they were both happy. The principal said they did great all day and gave me such a nice compliment. She said the kids are a joy - they listen, they clean up when asked, they are potty training, playing nice with the other kids. She said it's obvious that we are working with the kids to teach them the right things.
Drop off this morning was worse, which I actually anticipated. I thought things might get worse as the kids realize the change is permanent. Chris got dressed OK but when we started to talk about leaving for school, he started getting upset at home. It was obvious that it's stressing him out and I feel horrible. Daddy and I both talked to him about how we know it's scary at first and we tried to reassure him that Mommy will always come pick them up after their afternoon nap. DH said Chris got upset again in the parking lot and didn't want to go in and that they both were clinging to his legs in the classroom. He stayed for a few minutes but ended up leaving with both of them crying. Sometimes, it's just better to go so the kids get distracted with something else.
I know they both calm down after a few minutes of us leaving and it's just something they'll need to work through. Chris did have a harder time adjusting to our old daycare. It took about a month. I expected some anxiety this time but I thought it might be easier since they are somewhat familiar with how school works and the routine.
From my perspective, I've been very happy with the support we've received from both the Principal and Assistant Principal. There are many similiarities with our old daycare so that's also reassuring. Overall, I think the new daycare has a much better reputation academically and that's something I noticed immediately when we did the Open House tour. Oh, and did I mention that the new daycare is literally 5 minutes from our house? SO, SO , SO much more convenient! Starting next Monday, I'll be able to drive the 25 minutes to work by myself without having to worry about doing drop off, or hearing the kids fight or fuss about something in the backseat. I get back some much needed "mommy time".
So far, despite the difficult transition with the kids, I'm pleased and don't have any regrets.
2 comments:
Sorry its so hard for the little ones and you. I can only imagine how hard all this is.
E
I echo Eb's words, I cannot imagine how hard this must be for you all. Although you might have more grey hairs in the end, they are going to come through just fine! :)
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