So, when Matthew started crying last night at bedtime when he was taking about going to preschool, I was not optimistic about how the day would go. Oddly, though, he was crying when he was talking about the parts of preschool he liked (ride in the cart, see the white bear, mommy pick me up), and then was saying "go to preschool", not stay home.He also woke up in the middle of the night kind of crying about preschool (not for long, fortunately), and wouldn't eat breakfast because he was fussy. When we arrived at preschool, he didn't want to stop at the drinking fountain or even hang up his backpack, he just went right in the door. He right away went and picked up his white bear, and then threw himself down on the pillows in the corner of the classroom. His teacher tried to entice him into playing with the water table, but he was having none of it.
(James, meanwhile, was happily playing with the sandbox.)
I had asked the preschool director for an info sheet that we hadn't gotten, and she took the opportunity to give me a pep talk about sticking with it and how Matthew would be fine. When we walked back maybe 15 minutes later, we peeked in the window and Mattie was still lying on the pillows, but he was quiet. (She couldn't go in the classroom because her granddaughter is in the class, and she's still adjusting too -- seeing Grandma come and go would make her cry!)
So, it was a very pleasant surprise when we picked him up and the teacher reported that he'd had a great day! She said he cried for a little while, but that he had also played and talked and laughed for a lot of the day. He and James both ate snack (string cheese and granola bar). Hooray!!
I expect he's not completely adjusted yet, but it was great to hear that he's feeling better there. (Because honestly, if it was stressing him out enough to disrupt his sleep, that was about the last straw for me!) I think maybe he was just working through all the emotions of this new experience. We'll see. It's too bad there's so many days between now and the next time he goes -- it would be nice to be able to build on this positive trend.
2 comments:
Oh the days of remembering are coming back! Chris had a tough time adjusting too then seriously "out of the blue", he went in one day and was fine and never had a problem after that! I know it is hard but stick to it!
Do you always take him Mel or does Mike? When I was having so much trouble, Dick took him one day and he walked in and said "seeya later". Kids,,,,,,,,who knows!
Hi, Ann! Thanks for the encouragement! So far we've both been going to do the dropoff, but Mike usually stays in the car since it's hard to find a parking space. For this kind of thing, I bet Matthew would be better with Mike -- he's always a little clingier with me.
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