Day Two of Preschool

Soooo... even though Daisy did fine at preschool yesterday, she told us at bedtime that she did not want to go back. Some quotes: "My classroom is the wrong color," "Mothers should not leave little children all alone," and "It is no fun when you leave." I had trouble sleeping last night because I was worrying about how we'd get her to go this morning. But she went, with some resignation. My mother and I went in and spent the first 40 minutes with her, per school policy (we are not supposed to stay longer than half an hour--from 8 to 8:30--but they're being pretty lenient this first week). When we told her we were going, she looked completely unsurprised and said, "I'll be good." I felt like my heart was breaking as I walked away. She didn't cry, but she didn't look happy, either.

I may have said this in my last post, but the thing about Daisy that is so touching to me is the way she's showing coping skills about the separation. There are kids who are screaming and crying when their parents leave, and there are other kids who just seem so busy and occupied with the Montessori materials that they hardly notice what's going on. Daisy is doing neither. She is clearly processing the separation, dealing with it emotionally, and calling upon inner resources. Both times I've left her, she hasn't seemed particularly occupied with any activity, but she still pulled it together. It is kind of breaking my heart to watch, but I can tell this is *growth*. She is going to change; she is growing up and confronting difficulties she's never had to before. That is hard for me, because I have to admit that a part of me doesn't want her to grow up.