Reid's First (and maybe last) Day of "School"

Last Tuesday was Reid's first day of Mother's Day Out, or "school" as he calls it, at Immanuel Baptist Church. We decided that since I work two days a week, we could put Reid in Mother's Day Out on the days I work so that my mom would only have LilliAnn and would be able to get some things done that she needed to do. Unfortunately, I work on Tuesdays and Fridays and Mother's Day Out is only Monday through Thursday. I'm paying for three days a week and planned on only sending Reid two days, but since there's no MDO on Fridays, I'm going to have to send him on a day when I'm not working...which I really don't like. 

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I've justified putting Reid in Mother's Day Out by saying all the things that parents say to justify putting their children in childcare..."it'll be good for him," "he needs the socialization," "he'll learn so much," "he'll learn to share, form a line, follow the rules." Also, I thought this was just what you were supposed to do. And yes, I know that sometimes childcare is necessary and that all of these above justifications are true...it probably will be good for him, etc... but, Reid doesn't have to go to MDO right now AND Reid doesn't want to go to Mother's Day Out. We've been talking to him all summer about how he's going to start "school" like Jett and Grayson and how fun it's going to be, telling him he'll get to play with kids, "draw R.D.," play basketball, and play outside. 

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On the first day he was really excited to go, but I was sooooo nervous because he's never really stayed with anyone all day except for my mom and occasionally my granny or Jeb's mom. I got up really early to pack his lunch just perfectly, cook breakfast, and lay out his clothes. My mom came over to watch LilliAnn and I finished getting ready for work.  Then woke Reid up and got him all ready for his first day of school.  We took a few pictures and then were off to Mother's Day Out. We talked about all the fun things he was going to do at school on the way and sang a few of his favorite songs like "I've been working on the railroad" and "Wheels on the Bus." As we walked into the church, I tried to act happy and excited for him, but really I thought I was going to throw up all over the place. We'd already met his teacher a few days prior and he walked into his classroom like such a big boy and started playing with the kids. All was going great so I snuck out. As I was paying his dues at the front desk I heard it..."I want my mommy!" Yep, that was my child crying uncontrollably. I couldn't just leave so I decided to go back into the classroom and hold him for just a little bit longer. I stayed 15 more minutes and was already really late for work so I decided to just leave him with the teacher and walk out. He clung to me like a spider monkey and said, "no mommy, no mommy!" I felt terribly guilty. I was making my son go to Mother's Day Out when he really didn't have to go at all. I texted the director on my way to work and she said that he only cried for about 10 minutes and that he was playing now. Well, at least that made me feel a little bit better. My mom went and checked on him before lunch and he was playing outside on the playground with some other little boys and seemed to be having a great time. When she went to pick him up he was crying again and the teacher was holding him. Reid called me at work when he got out of school and told me that he liked school and that he "played outside" and "painted his hands." Yay, I thought, this might actually work. When I got home from work that day, I was never so glad to see that precious blond-haired little boy!

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Thursday I decided to try the MDO thing again. Although I didn't have to work that day, I had a few errands I needed to run so I thought he might enjoy playing for a while. "It's only 9-2," I kept telling myself, "only 5 hours." Jeb rode with me to drop him off and stayed in the car with LilliAnn. He told us all the way to the church that he didn't want to go to school. Great, I thought - here we go again. I prayed all the way there that it would be an easy drop off and he would run right in and start playing. Not so much...he, once again, clung to me like a spider monkey and said, "peeeaaassse mommy don't go," "I don't wanna go to school," and "I wanna go bye bye mommy." After trying to talk him into "liking" staying, I left him with the teacher and walked out, listening to him scream for me as I walked out the door. As I walked to the car I knew Jeb would already know how terrible it went by the "I'm gonna throw up" look on my face. He is the only boy in his class with about seven little girls. No wonder it's such as bad drop off. It's like, "here Reid, stay with the little girls and play baby dolls with them." It would be much easier to leave him if he saw a group of little boys playing trucks and having fun. When I leave him, all the things the girls are doing just doesn't look that fun to a rowdy little boy. I turned around in the parking lot and walked back in to talk to the director about this. She said the only other little boy in that class only comes on Wednesdays and that we can try him in the other 2 year old class next week if I wanted to. So...mom went and checked on him again that morning and he was playing with some little boys in the general play area during play time and was having fun. But when I picked him up, he was in his classroom with all girls, sitting in the corner by himself with the sit & spin. He had two accidents in his pants, which hasn't happened in a really long time. As we were leaving I asked him if he wanted to go back to school next week and he said, "no mommy - I don't want to go to school." 

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Yes, I know that you have to give it some time and that sometimes it takes a while for them to get used to the new environment, new people, and new routine...but, I also know how my heart feels and that I need to go with my gut and my gut is telling me that Reid does not need to got to "school" when he's two, especially when he doesn't have to and doesn't want to. He's right on track, if not a little advanced, developmentally, he is very social, has a sibling, and plays with other children often, and is pretty good a sharing and behaving. I'm not sending him just so I can have a break and get things done on the day I'm not working and my mom does't mind keeping him when I work. He's two years old and isn't going to be a baby much longer. He has the rest of his life to go to "school" and be away from me. However, I am going to try again this week one more time in the other class that has more boys. If he likes it and wants to go then I may take him one or two days a week and see how it goes, if he doesn't like it, we're going to hold off on this whole "school" thing.

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Reid's lunchbox

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I over-do everything! A choo choo train sandwich for lunch with goldfish, fresh strawberries, raisins, and organic apple juice

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He's digging the backpack!

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Already not wanting to take a picture with his mama!

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*Note: Thankfully, God has blessed me with an amazing, fantastic, terrific, kind, loving, generous (there are really not enough words to describe how great she is) mother that helps me so much with my children. This is the main reason that Reid doesn't have to go to "school." She keeps my children when I work and also at times when I need to run errands or have something I really need to do. I honestly can say that she is my best friend and my rock and I don't know what I would do without her. Thank you, Lord, for my mother. There's no one I'd rather have keep my children than their Nana Karen.