Day care dramalama
Nov. 4th, 2009 09:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
judecorpI am officially "that mom."
Punk started her new home day care yesterday. After looking at a number of day cares, we didn't find one we LOVED except for the big Montessori school in Springfield but they require 2 year olds to be picked up at 4 and umm, that's not possible. So we looked at a lot of "not our favorite" places and in the end had to kind of choose a lesser of evils thing. Well, none were EVIL. I hate that expression. But anyway.
So we went with this woman who was very nice, very personable, very sweet to Punk, who had a nice house and had a small gaggle of little girls who were not doing anything outrageous. There were a few things I wasn't jazzed about (TV on at drop off until about 9am, seemed to eat more "kid foods" more often, a bit less structure) but overall she seemed like a lady who is a nurturing mom type and would be very present for Punk, and I thought she would like that group of kids - a bunch of girly girls who like "beautiful dresses" and playing "dress up," both very big in our house right now.
Yesterday was her first day and I brought her diapers and wipes and blanket and pillow and all of that and it was fine. She was excited to be there and sat down at the bookshelf with all of the books, picking out her favorites. ("Look, Mama, The Foot Book!" etc.) And I left, and at pick-up Jen said it was a little more chaotic than she liked but Punk seemed to be having fun, and the day care provider was flexible in trying different ways to help Punk nap, etc. Punk said she had chicken nuggets and fries and ketchup for lunch and came home asking for vegetables for dinner, but whatever. You know? I'm not a total psycho hard-ass.
This morning I dropped her off and there were a few other parents dropping off, and Punk was a little freaked by the new parents. I heard C mention that the TV was on (Punk came in and asked for TV) so I tried to kind of move Punk over to that area so she wouldn't be so freaked by the parents. I am not bothered by the TV being on at drop-off for 30 minutes or so before breakfast as Punk watches TV at home. When C told me she has the TV on in the morning, I simply stopped having Punk watch TV at home in the mornings so she would have her morning TV time over there. No big.
But when I brought her over to the couch I saw that SpongeBob was on. I'm not some freak who thinks SpongeBob should be banned or anything but I don't think it's appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. And I have never let Punk watch SpongeBob. And I don't plan to for quite a while. I don't like the way they act on that show and I don't like the way they talk to each other and I don't really need my kid calling people "stupid" and acting like a nutter. I am actually kind of furious about the SpongeBob.
I sent an e-mail tonight to the day care provider asking how Punk is adjusting and also asking if it's possible not to have SpongeBob on for the toddlers in the morning. I vacillate between worrying about being a psycho-mom and wanting to find a new day care ASAP before she gets attached. And then I worry that I will mess her up for life if I switch her day care a million times, too.
Being a mama is HARD.
Punk started her new home day care yesterday. After looking at a number of day cares, we didn't find one we LOVED except for the big Montessori school in Springfield but they require 2 year olds to be picked up at 4 and umm, that's not possible. So we looked at a lot of "not our favorite" places and in the end had to kind of choose a lesser of evils thing. Well, none were EVIL. I hate that expression. But anyway.
So we went with this woman who was very nice, very personable, very sweet to Punk, who had a nice house and had a small gaggle of little girls who were not doing anything outrageous. There were a few things I wasn't jazzed about (TV on at drop off until about 9am, seemed to eat more "kid foods" more often, a bit less structure) but overall she seemed like a lady who is a nurturing mom type and would be very present for Punk, and I thought she would like that group of kids - a bunch of girly girls who like "beautiful dresses" and playing "dress up," both very big in our house right now.
Yesterday was her first day and I brought her diapers and wipes and blanket and pillow and all of that and it was fine. She was excited to be there and sat down at the bookshelf with all of the books, picking out her favorites. ("Look, Mama, The Foot Book!" etc.) And I left, and at pick-up Jen said it was a little more chaotic than she liked but Punk seemed to be having fun, and the day care provider was flexible in trying different ways to help Punk nap, etc. Punk said she had chicken nuggets and fries and ketchup for lunch and came home asking for vegetables for dinner, but whatever. You know? I'm not a total psycho hard-ass.
This morning I dropped her off and there were a few other parents dropping off, and Punk was a little freaked by the new parents. I heard C mention that the TV was on (Punk came in and asked for TV) so I tried to kind of move Punk over to that area so she wouldn't be so freaked by the parents. I am not bothered by the TV being on at drop-off for 30 minutes or so before breakfast as Punk watches TV at home. When C told me she has the TV on in the morning, I simply stopped having Punk watch TV at home in the mornings so she would have her morning TV time over there. No big.
But when I brought her over to the couch I saw that SpongeBob was on. I'm not some freak who thinks SpongeBob should be banned or anything but I don't think it's appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. And I have never let Punk watch SpongeBob. And I don't plan to for quite a while. I don't like the way they act on that show and I don't like the way they talk to each other and I don't really need my kid calling people "stupid" and acting like a nutter. I am actually kind of furious about the SpongeBob.
I sent an e-mail tonight to the day care provider asking how Punk is adjusting and also asking if it's possible not to have SpongeBob on for the toddlers in the morning. I vacillate between worrying about being a psycho-mom and wanting to find a new day care ASAP before she gets attached. And then I worry that I will mess her up for life if I switch her day care a million times, too.
Being a mama is HARD.
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-05 02:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-05 12:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-05 01:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-05 06:01 pm (UTC)And you won't mess up her life. But I get the fear. My wife was bopped from school to school to school for her elementary years and is still somewhat scarred by it. The fact that you aren't just chasing down the next best thing and are considering the possible consequences of switching vs. emailing about issues vs. sticking it out shows what a kick-butt, aware, and smart mom you are.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-05 06:26 pm (UTC)When it became apparent that V was watching commercials, I had a talk with the daycare and got them to switch to DVDs. I don't mind if the shows aren't PBS or educational, nearly as much as I mind the exposure to kid-targeted advertising. She doesn't need that.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-06 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 01:13 am (UTC)