My oldest started preschool this week. It's the first time she's been cared for by a total stranger, one would think I'd be more emotional about it. I wasn't. I'm not sure if it's because she's only going half a day three days a week and it doesn't feel like "real" school to me or it just hasn't hit yet.
Today I was able to process things a bit better, and I really think I like the routine school will force us to have. I have to get up early AND get dressed which will really help get the day started. Sometimes it's hard to get going when I'm still in my PJs at 9am and we don't really have anywhere to go.
Today I was able to really spend some good time with my son, which doesn't happen much. It seems like it's either always the two of them or I have "me" time and have no kids. My daughter and I had all kinds of one-on-one time before Bug came along. A and I had 2 and a half years together!
I was able to play with Bug and learned a few things about him. For instance, even though he and A bicker and fight a lot (it seems like a lot to me when they're both screamers) he's staying busy! Today I was on the phone and A was at school so Bug went into the bathroom and climbed up on the counter, sat in the sink, turned the water on and brushed his teeth with my toothbrush.
When A's home I don't tend to have moments like that since Bug is either fighting with her, or A is running to tell me that Bug is on the bathroom counter and I can catch him before he gets very far.
So, note to self: Bug needs more monitoring that A did/does.
Also, Bug likes to be around people. I've known he's more social than A, but I couldn't see how different it was until there wasn't someone for him to pal around with. Today he just wanted me in the room with him. Sometimes he'd engage me in play and some of the time he was content to do his own thing as long as I was in there with him.
A has always been pretty solitary and I suppose I took her ability (preference, really) to play by herself for hours on end for granted!
I'm also learning about Bug's temper. I've known he has one, but a lot of the time I tend to think he's being provoked a bit by A. Today, however, I could see that he has basically no patience!
He was getting mad at the trains he has because they wouldn't stay connected to each other. I was trying to think of another activity I could suggest, but each one I could see him getting frustrated with just like with the trains.
So, instead of moving onto something different we played with the trains and when he got mad or frustrated I tried to help him identify that emotion and show him ways to handle it. His reaction is mainly physical. He likes to throw things and hit, but he also likes to scream. Today we worked on not hitting Mommy (or anyone else who might be near by). I was in the floor playing with him and said "Grrr! You sound really angry!" and then I threw the toy down that I was playing with--the idea being that I'm setting an example for him ;) We'll see if he takes that as a license to throw things from now on!
~Alexis
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