Preschool

As we prepared our now three year old for her first days in pre-K3, I would play Daniel Tiger’s song “Grown-Ups Come Back” on repeat. We hadn’t spent enough time in church nurseries or MDO programs for her to really grasp the concept of getting dropped off anywhere without us.  It goes like this: Even when we go away Grown-ups come back Will you pick me up when I go to school? Yep, at the end of day because that's the rule Grown-ups come back Grown-ups come back to you Grown-ups come back they do Grown-ups come back I’ll never forget her first day and how incredibly bizarre it felt to join a carpool line for my own child. We played the song over and over as I made...

Getting my kids to clean up after themselves is one of my least favorite responsibilities. Especially after months of being at home more than usual, I found myself resorting to just bribing my three and five year old to stay in another room and play quietly while I would listen to a podcast and clean their disaster zone room for them. Isn’t it a total delight to find several day old cups of milk and used pull-ups under the bed?  While that method worked, in theory, I want my kids to be responsible little people and tidy up one mess before moving on to another. I want to say, “Alright! Time to clean up!” And with a snap of my...

I have two little guys. There are currently 5 and 2 years old. Their baby sister is 6 months old.   Ever since our first son was born, there has been an emphasis that he NEEDS to be tough. Not necessarily from me or even my husband, but from other people’s perspectives. We’ve been told all sorts of (unnecessary) things to support that society NEEDS our little guys to be tough right now- at 2 and 5 years old.   My typical thought process is that they (the boys and the girl) have their whole lives to learn to be tough; right now they can just be my little buddies and they don’t need to be tough because Mama Bear is ferocious and strong...

I refer to myself as an 80's mom. My kids are young – 4 years and 19 months. I’m not sending them out into the neighborhood and not letting them back in until sunset, but I am attempting to instill some age-appropriate independence in them and teach them that low-key fun can be had every day. I am the default parent as my husband is working A LOT, and because of COVID, they can’t spend weekends away with extended family, having camp-outs and sleepovers with cousins. I have to find something for them to do. I’m not into extravagant activities, we don’t have the time for the day and weekend trips to lakes and beaches, and I don’t want them...

Yesterday, my daughter’s class presented the “Letter Z” during their Wacky Wednesday Zoom lesson. Immediately she proclaimed “Mom, School is over and we won’t see our teachers and friends again.” The tears began to flow. For a while, I wasn’t sure where her tears stopped and mine began. How do I explain to my child that she’s exactly right?  You see this was her last year at Montessori School of Baton Rouge (MSBR). Next year she starts Kindergarten at a new school with new friends and new teachers. MSBR has been so amazing for us, I have often wished the school lasted all the way to high school, or at least middle school. Unfortunately, my son didn’t have the...