Be Strong

It finally happened.
Yesterday I had to follow through on one of those threats I seem to use too often.

At gymnastics, Brianna refused to go into the gym without me. She has been enrolled in the "big-girl class" for months but her new teacher is male. We have had a hard time getting her to go in and do her warm-ups but she has always gone in by the time they started the real stuff. This week, she REFUSED to enter.

I tried walking in with her, and leaving when she got to the group. NOPE.
The teacher tried sending one of the other kids out to get her. NOPE!
The female receptionist tried walking her in. NOPE!
- At this point I started threatening to go home.-
We stood at the door.... she clung to my leg.... I could not get her to tell me why...
- I threatened to take her home.-
The receptionist tried again... I tried again... the kid from her class tried again...
- I put on her first shoe.- BLOOD CURDLING SCREAMING ENSUED...
We went to the bathroom... I tried again... I tried again...
- AND FINALLY... WE WENT HOME!-

She kicked and screamed as I put her coat and shoes on. She cried and screamed, mostly the word "No", all the way home. She pouted and fussed for an hour afterwards.

But people... I made my point dang it! And I hated every minute of it. I tried not to laugh, or cry, as she screamed. I tried and tried again to get her to go participate. I tried to talk her down, I tried to talk myself down. I'm a teacher, I know that you have to make a point sometimes. But today, I am very sad.

I'll let you know how it goes the next time...
What do you think? Should I switch her to the class with the female teacher?

only 5 minutes now

All day long I have been meaning to post about how great Grant is doing with sign language. Sometime around Christmas he figured out that if he makes the same stupid hand motions mommy makes, he gets something he wants!

He now regularly uses "more" (although he usually means that he wants to eat.)
So we taught him "eat", but he only does that when we prompt him.
He is also quite good at requesting "milk" now. And that has prompted Brianna to use sign language to ask for milk too.

It's not quite the same when your 3 1/2 year old walks over to you and says "Mommy, can I please have some milk" while furiously pumping her fists up and down! She looks more like she's doing a dance then a sign... DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE CAN ALREADY TALK, she insists on using the sign, and of course giggling like a maniac afterwards!

Ah, kids!

Happy, Crappy New Year

I had planned on posting today to wish my 6 readers a happy new year and tell you all about my wonderful break. (If you're new to my insanity, I am a teacher and didn't have to work between Dec. 22 and Jan. 8).

That all flew out the window this morning.

At the daycare center I normally love, this morning I hated. Both of my children had to move up to new classrooms after the break so this morning was understandably nutty. Bri took everything very well, she didn't seem disturbed at all by the new classroom since she still had her good friends and one of her former teachers with her. We'll see how she feels when she realizes it's permanent and not just for a day or two.

Grant is another matter entirely. My baby boy made a big change. He has no familiar teacher faces. He doesn't care much about the other kids, but they are at least familiar. This morning, Grant cried when I put him down in the new room. He cried when I held him in the new room. He SCREAMED when I handed him to the teacher. He even did that little twisting thing that only small children can do... while being held by the teacher, he turned his torso fully around to reach for me with both hands while screaming and kicking.

I know, he'll be fine. At least 8 different people today have told me "He'll be fine". In my brain I know that after a few days (weeks at worse!) he'll adjust and he really will be fine. However, today my brain can't tell my heart that because my heart is broken.