Drop-off Playgroup, Week 2

Given how well our first week of playgroup went, I wasn’t really expecting any trouble in week two. But I guess I should have known better. I assumed that because Buba and Tiny have always been okay in the childcare room when I go to my monthly book club meeting, that they would be fine playing with all the kids, toys, and teachers at the playgroup without me being in the room. But, I’m pretty sure I only spent about five minutes in the parent waiting room before being called back to the playroom.

The plan was that I would spend five to ten minutes in in the playroom at the beginning of playgroup and then leave once Buba and Tiny appeared to be comfortably settled in. At the time of my departure, Tiny was busy playing with baby dolls, and Buba was playing with other boys in the airplane/truck area. I gave them both kisses and told them I’d be back when playtime was over. They both seemed fine with me leaving.

I went down the hall to the waiting room, and had just enough time to login to my email account on the computer they have in there, when I heard Buba’s cry loud and clear. I waited to see if it would die down, and when it didn’t, I wasn’t surprised to see the EI teacher standing in the doorway telling me that my presence would be required for another session.

So what happened? Apparently Buba had gone to the craft table where children were gluing small, foam shapes onto green construction paper with orange glue/paint. There was a pie tin full of the foam shapes in the middle of the table, and Buba picked it up and walked off with it. When the teacher went after Buba and asked him to take the pie tin back to the table, Buba lost it and could not be consoled. My guess is that he thought he was in trouble and felt scared without me there.

Unfortunately, me coming back into the room didn’t help much. I was sent over to the mommy bench, where moms who need to be in the room are supposed to just sit and observe. But Buba was shaken up to the point that he didn’t want to play with anyone or anything unless I was there with him. It didn’t seem right for him to be stuck to my side on the mommy bench, so I left my post and tried to get him involved in some of the play stations/activities. However, each time he seemed fully engaged and I would try to head back to the mommy bench, he’d drop whatever he was doing to come back with me. This went on during the entire free play portion of the playgroup.

Then, just before clean-up, I was informed that Tiny had had a potty accident (sadly, she wet her pants for the second time that morning*), and I had to abandon Buba for a bit to get her into new clothes. Fortunately, he was fine at that point. I don’t believe he helped with the clean-up, but at least he didn’t cry.

As the kids all headed over to the carpeted bench for circle time, Tiny went fearlessly and sat right down between a little boy and one of the teachers. Buba, however, cried again as I lead him over to the circle, but calmed down quickly and was able to sit on the bench instead of in my lap as he had the previous week. The good news was that both he and Tiny participated fully in circle time this week. Last week, they refused to take their turns bouncing on the big yoga ball as the others sang a welcoming song to them (as is done for each child), but this week they went right up when their names were called. They also participated as best they could when it was time to sing songs and play a cooperative game.

After circle time (again, only about ten minutes long), the kids headed over to the sink to wash hands before snack. Tiny remembered how wonderful this experience had been, and eagerly walked over holding another boy’s hand. Buba had to be carried over, crying the whole way. I took him right up to the sink so he could watch everyone else wash their hands, and then I helped him wash his own. He was still crying when I took him to the table for snack, but the words, “Would you like cake?” got him smiling again.

Although it would be great if next week we could truly have a drop-off experience, I think it’s safe to say that it’s going to be a while until we get to that point. This is the first time my kids have been in a more structured play setting, and they’ll need some time (Buba especially) to become familiar and comfortable with all the rules and transitions. The lead EI teacher assured me that both Buba and Tiny are having typical experiences for first-timers, and that this will all be old hat in a few more weeks.

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*Tiny has done exceptionally well at staying dry and clean since we did her potty training back in January. For whatever reason, she was just off that morning. And fortunately, she’s been dry and clean ever since.