My baby Scarlett is really growing up! She's been making strange for so long now that it's amazing to watch her growing out of it. We went to our usual Thursday afternoon program that Scarlett LOVES. It's called "Singable Stories" and it's a half hour of singing songs and reading books and parachute activities. Today I realized that my mat leave is coming to an end. There were several new moms and babies there today just starting their journey of the Ontario Early Years programs (free programming offered all over Ontario in different locations offering a wide variety of programs for all ages to age 6) while we are closing that door as I return to work in January.
Scarlett loves these programs. She loves sitting quietly and smiling through all of the songs. She has her favourites but she really just beams from ear to ear through the whole program. There are often babies who crawl around the room and really are mostly interested in their new found freedom. Scarlett has always stayed right by me...a combination of making strange and wanting to be with me, she didn't know how to crawl, and just really likes the songs. Today she crawled right up to the instructor and sat and engaged with her through the entire class - if you look at the picture it doesn't look like there is anyone else in the room, but it was a full class.
During "Old McDonald" she kept looking back at me for the different animals - checking to see if I was still there, but also to look for the "sign" of each animal - I am always signing to Scarlett. She was very cute and the other moms were enjoying her smiles. And I was beaming from ear to ear - but at the same time I felt like she was miles away from me. I kept thinking that "she is going to be enjoying circle time and programs at daycare and I won't be there to enjoy it with her." And that's all part of growing up. I'm a teacher! I enjoy programs with other people's children. But I want to watch Scarlett's reaction to all of the new things she will experience.
Are any of you out there fans of the Philip Pullman Trilogy, "His Dark Materials"? I felt like Scarlett is like my Daemon in those books - she is attached to me by an invisible connection, and if she gets too far away I feel the connection tightening and straining. Now I can relate to those stories on a whole new level.
And part of being a good parent is letting her go and find herself and take risks and succeed and fail. I'm just to be there as her constant, her support. But in the meantime, I have one more month of enjoying every second of her day before I head back into work.
That's great you have such programmes! And I (of course..) so get it about wanting to see all Scarlest's first reactions - my nanny comes to me telling me how Butterfly says this or that, including mummy. Now B is not really talking as this nanny asks her again and again to repeat her words, so she is just a parrot, but still there's this feelig - I don't wat her first word heard by anyone but me!
ReplyDeleteYou have much better Early Years programs in your area than we do in ours...yours are much better organized, here they're just a free for all. My SIL (who lives in the GTA) teaches me all the great circle time songs.
ReplyDeleteThe first few times I left my son (as a newborn with his grandparents), I found myself hyperventilating. I, too, felt like there was an invisible connection being strained by distance (even if it was just a few miles in town.)
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend the book, "When Mama Comes Home Tonight" by Eileen Spinelli. It is very comforting for me (and hopefully my children).