Modern Mom: Potty Pressure

Finally. My daughter has indicated her interest in potty training, which, according to my pediatrician, is our green light to put her in underpants. I discussed it with her preschool teachers and they seem more than ready for the challenge. They told me that they trained 10 kids in one week a few months ago. I was delighted to hear that; if they could do 10 in one week, they could probably do my one in a day (can’t hurt to dream)! So this morning, we took our first ride to school with my daughter in her panties, and wouldn’t you know it, we got stuck in a major traffic jam. We were stalled for about two minutes, when I heard the words I was dreading from the back seat, “momma, I need to go poop.” There was no turning around, and no way to get out of the traffic line. So I tried to cajole, to reason, to guide, and to bribe my daughter to wait until we got to school. And it worked! We ran into school where I deposited my daughter, four extra changes of clothes, and six pairs of panties. And I have to admit, this is one day when I am glad she’s in child care. I can’t wait to see how much progress she makes during the day…I hope it’s enough so that our ride home is stress…and mess…free.

New Mom: Ode to the Infant Teacher

When New Girl goes to the center each day, we call it “school.” When she runs to her teachers, we call them, well, her teachers. I’ve noticed that some people, friends, sisters-in-law, my mom, either roll their eyes thinking we’re inflating this experience, or laugh with a little “oh, how cute” to use those terms to describe what they think of as “day care” and “baby sitters.” But more and more every day, their brush off of New Girl’s teachers as somehow something less than a first-grade math teacher, or high school English teacher, or college professor, makes me angrier and angrier. In fact, these women are so much more.

I see the grace with which they teach these infants to learn. They teach babies to learn how to comfort themselves to sleep; they teach even the most stubborn 1-year-old to learn to use a cup; they teach them to learn to eat at the table, to figure out a new toy, to overcome frustration, to be proud of their accomplishments. They teach them that they can be loved unconditionally by people in addition to mommy and daddy. I want to say to the non-believers out there, “You try teaching someone who can’t talk, can’t walk, and can’t understand your language how to be a loving, gentle soul, and that the world is safe as long as you are there by his side. Teach someone who cannot hold a paintbrush how to make masterful works of art. Teach someone with no teeth how to enjoy the fruits of the earth. Teach someone who cannot support herself how to literally stand proud on her own. And then, teach them how to talk, walk, and understand your language. And do it all in just a few months.” New Girl’s teachers are the most miraculous people I know. They are amazing, wonderful teachers. And I haven’t even started on what they’ve taught me, but that’s a blog — or a tome — for another day.

ModernMom: The Sound of Silence

They say “no news is good news,” but as far as my new kindergartener is concerned I don’t buy it. He’s now in the middle of his 3^rd full week of school and I have yet to hear a peep from his teacher. My daughter, on the other hand, is in the toddler room at the child care center – she’s been there since she was an infant, and I still get a daily sheet that tells me (in great detail) about all of her bodily functions. My toddler’s teachers are gracious when I call them to check in on her day and full of details at pick-up.

Since there’s no daily sheet to speak of in kindergarten and I pick my son up from an after-school program, I’ve had to rely on him to tell me about his day’s experience. Here’s what I’ve learned thus far: they have strawberry milk in kindergarten. This, apparently, is the most exciting – or at least memorable – part of his day. I’m not sure I can wait until parent-teacher conferences to find out how my son is doing in his new school. One of my friends suggests that I volunteer in the classroom to get a sense of what’s going on; another says I should e-mail the teacher weekly. HELP! How can I narrow this information gap?