On his first day I was still pregnant and prohibited by Dr. Husband from driving, so we took him together. We had breakfast, took a picture to capture the moment, then headed to daycare. Of course on the first day we had some minor things to finalize so the cub played around the lobby and introduced himself to children as they walked by. This was looking promising. We took him to what would be his classroom and he immediately identified a toy he wanted to play with. Not wanting to draw things out we both said goodbye shortly after entering the room. The cub, kind of confused, said goodbye back and we left the room. We stood outside the room out of sight waiting to see if we would hear him cry. Silence--so we left. Later that day we were told he cried the entire day. This was a little painful to hear but we also expected it.
 |
| Antonio on his first day of school |
Fast forward....
Over the next two weeks we experienced the following:
1. The cub had two colds and spent days out of daycare after having caught his cold at daycare. We went from having a child that was rarely sick (perhaps twice in his life so far) to a child always sick. We are constantly battling congestion, fevers, and runny noses.
2. The cub wakes up every morning and says "no school". The minute we would get him in the car he would become withdrawn and depressed.He wouldn't play at school and according to the teachers all he did was cry all day.
3. The cub became very needy and became a baby all over again. The temper tantrums and incessant crying increased. The dramatic meltdowns for attention increased.
4. The staff were not as polite and amazing as they were the day I toured and the few days I returned to the center to enroll the cub. In response to the incessant crying, A lot of judgement was passed as to how we were parenting our child. A few of the staff members made comments to my husband and mother-in-law as to how our parenting style was affecting the cub's ability to adjust to daycare. First they told us that after two weeks most kids stop crying. I polled friends and learned that their children cried well past two weeks. I was additionally frustrated by this because prior to enrolling my cub I explained to them that my son had never been cared for by a stranger....NEVER!. One lady decided to vent her frustration with having to deal with my crying son. Now I tend to be more confrontational than my husband and mother-in-law and I had sworn to have a meeting with the director and individuals in question if another comment was made. Well God intervened because miraculously things began to change.
Now...
1. The cub does very well at daycare and the staff are falling in love with him. He still says no school every morning but at least he is having fun now.
2. The cub's vocabulary is taking off at the speed of lightening and think this is partially due to daycare.
3. He is beginning to play with other children and even shares a little.
If your little one has never been cared for by a stranger and you are considering transitioning him to a daycare center make sure you have a talk with the director and his teachers to hash out a game plan. Pick their brains for suggestions to help with adjusting and be sure to voice your suggestions. We asked that the center allow us to bring his security blanket everyday. They agreed and it made the world of a difference. Now we are beginning to wean him off the blanket. He takes it in the car everyday but he doesn't take it into the center.
No comments:
Post a Comment