Mommy and Me

Since January we have been participating in a Mommy and Me class through the San Diego Community College District. My friend Jen told me about it - it is actually a parent education class that meets once a week for 18 weeks. The first half an hour is craft/play time, followed by circle time, where the kids follow the teacher in songs and stories. Then half of the moms leave the room to participate in a parenting discussion while the other moms stay with the kids in the classroom to play. Halfway through there is snack time and then the moms swap rooms, so everybody gets to participate in discussion and the kids have a chance to experience mom leaving the room. The kids can always come into the discussion room if they need/want mom, but are encouraged to try to play with the other kids and moms.

This has been a fabulous experience for all three of us. The first few weeks, the boys were totally thrilled with the whole concept of a classroom and could have cared less about me leaving the room. They got to play with trucks, cars, and other toys we don't have at home. As the weeks went on, the room full of now familiar toys and activities became less of a distraction and they preferred to be in the same room with me, which was totally fine. They would usually play nicely or just sit on my lap during the parent discussion.

The boys and I are big fans of our teacher, Teacher Helen. The boys just loved the concept of a teacher from the beginning. They are happy participants in circle time, which involves listening to Teacher Helen and singing songs. The first few weeks, they sang the songs at home all the time. They also loved to talk about Teacher Helen - how nice she is and how she gives them stickers (the way to a two-year-old's heart). I like Teacher Helen because she is a great group leader and I've learned a lot from her. She is also totally calm amidst the chaos of tons of parents and kids. I really admire that.

The one drawback to class has been that it really exacerbated cold and flu season for us. For about two months, we would have class on Thursday and wind up sick by Saturday, missing the following week of activities. We would go back after another week and wind up sick again. So we took a little break until May, just to save ourselves from the rampant germs. The boys have been happy to be back and had an especially fabulous time yesterday. It is amazing to see them participate in a school-like activity, like such big boys!