Success! (sort of)

My preschooler -- the calm right before the storm. :) He looks so handome and brave!


Alyssa loves the camera and wanted to be included as well.


The best part of the day? Picking him up after school and watching Alyssa maul him with hugs as she greeted him. She missed her brother!

Well, Jayce's first day on Tuesday was semi-satisfying. He was so stoked to go and practically ran out the door. Reality began to sink in as I tried to drop him off, however. After greeting the teacher, he kept pleading with me to stay five more minutes. I sat on the couch for a bit and very matter-of-factly told him goodbye and that I would see him soon. That strategy didn't work, and I was stuck with an hysterical boy -- begging me not to leave. I sat down again, and as he started playing with the play dough, I tried to slip out. He was too observant and immediately rushed to gate, screaming, "Don't leave me, Mommy. I love you!" Tears streamed down his face, and I did all I could to keep mine from spilling out as well. I stood firm and told him to have fun, and then I was off with Alyssa for some girl time. The 2 1/2 hours were torture! I had no idea how he was doing -- had he recovered from the trauma? Fortunately, he had. When I came to pick him up, he was all smiles and couldn't stop talking about all the fun. According to the teacher, he quietly sobbed for about 10 minutes and then was perfectly fine, obedient, and helpful.

So, after the rave reviews, you would think he would be better today? No such luck. He still cried, pleaded, and tried to escape. As I left, though, I didn't feel quite so guilty because I knew he had had fun the time before. According to Ms. Natalie, Jayce had found the same little crying spot but only cried for five minutes instead of 10. Progress, right? Again, all smiles when I picked him up. I asked him, "Jayce, if you have so much fun at preschool, why do you cry when I leave?" He responded, "Mom, I'll just cry for a little bit and then I'll be okay." Wise words! I need to be okay with his crying because I know it's just temporary, and it does make him feel better. But I do look forward to the day when dropping him off isn't so dramatic!