The Short One has had two rough mornings this week returning to the stress-filled life that is preschool.
Day Two was worse than Day One, exacerbated perhaps by the fact that he was decked in cowboy duds in celebration of "T is for Texas" week at school. ("T" being an especially fitting letter because when one is Short, highly emotional, and fighting a stuffy nose, "cowboy clothes" become "Towboy Toes.")
So, he's hot in a long-sleeved towboy shirt. He's hot and mad in a towboy hat. He's mad enough to kick something w/ his pointy towboy boots. And he wants his mommy to "stay w/ me," and that's sad.
Today is Day Three. And better.
My tactic w/ an upset preschooler who tearfully wants me to stay is to matter-of-factly hug his neck, kiss his cheek, express love and guarantee of a speedy return and then to BEAT A PATH TO THE DOOR trying not to step on preschoolers in my path. I try not to prolong the agony. I've been assured by previous caregivers that he quickly "rights himself" and the sadness passes soon after I run out.
The teacher at THIS new preschool, who has never seen how fast I can desert my crying child, said there'd be no problem w/ me exiting quickly if he was upset, just not if he was flailing. Flailing!?! I repeat that not because I was shocked by it; but, because on Day Three of a tear-filled week when he was finding that no amount of tears or clutching (or kicking of cowboy boots) was keeping me around, I FULLY EXPECTED FLAILING. And I was going to get NO support if my good-bye failed ... and he flailed.
He didn't. There was a moment of uneasiness. A hint of a quivering chin. A quick kiss good-bye, and that was it. He DID NOT chase me to the door, call my name, or seem otherwise distressed.
I retrieved him muddy, wet, happy, and cheerfully "beating up" a green leaf to extract chlorophyll. (It IS nature school, after all.) No flailing ...
Tomorrow will be even better.
Meanwhile, the people in this town LUV a good workout ... and this is the season. Stores are teeming w/ athletes adding to their workout gear; and would-be athletes, like me, trying to decide if we're going to add to our athletic wardrobe by climbing into a wetsuit for cold triathlon swims.
I'm thinking getting into and OUT of one would require far too much flailing of limbs. And that's not allowed.
