Friday, October 09, 2009

Mommy and Peyton go to school






















Peyton (2) has been home with me her whole life, so when she started preschool because I returned to work, she wasn't a happy camper. The first few weeks she'd cry each morning I'd drop her off (she'd cry, I'd smile and walk away and then I'd cry, you know how it is...heartbreaking) and then I'd call the school to check on her every hour. The sweet directors and teachers would reassure me with each phone call that she was perfectly fine and told me I could call a hundred times a day if I needed to. They don't know how tempted I was. When I would pick her up, she'd cry harder than when I dropped her off and I didn't think that was even possible. She wasn't crying before I got there so the crocodile tears where just a punishment for me.

Sigh

But each day that week things got a little better and then the next week a little better still. Now I look at what she's doing at her little school and I am amazed at the progress in such a short time.

She cries some in the mornings when I drop her off but at this point it's really only for effect. During the rest of the day she:

plays nicely with others
colors
reads books
does crafts
sits in a group and listens
helps set out food for lunches and serves others
cleans up messes
takes a nap by herself on a nap mat (Oh. My. Goodness.)
wears a pull-up and goes on the big girl potty (I swear these teachers are miracle workers)

Every day when I drop off or pick up, I hear about how good she's doing. The teachers care for her, understand her, love her. She's learning, socializing, becoming more independent, discovering that she's okay apart from me.

There's not a morning that goes by that I don't ache for her as I walk away as she stands there crying for me. But I know, because I check, that she stops as soon as I leave.

If I didn't love my job so much and if I didn't love her school so much, this would all be very different. But I do, I love them both. And while I miss her more than I can ever explain, she's okay and I'm okay and we're doing what we're supposed to be doing right now, we're growing up...both of us.

2 comments:

jubilee said...

*sniff*

Gina said...

can she teach her cousin how she does it?? i totally understand your heartache!!