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View Full Version : Help with a mommy and me class



mary b
01-16-2004, 05:56 PM
My DD and I take a mommy and me class at a local church (crafts, singing, stories etc) for 1 hour every week. The age group is from 18months-3 years so DD is right in the middle at 27 months.
Anyway, I just need ideas or support that I am a OK mom.

Noelle has a much harder time than the other kids sitting on her carpet square, sharing, etc. She isn't always disruptive, it's just many times I am getting her, saying "come sit by me, not the teacher, come back to your carpet, listen to the story, etc"... I do have the baby with me as well but I don't think this is her acting out against the baby, she just can';t sit there. They do other things besides sitting and listening for an hour, it's just that Noelle of all the other kids appears the most figgety.

DH and I have talked alot about "not squashing her spirit" and not disiplining her and ordering her around at the class, I just want a happy medium so that she is having a great time and so are the other kids because she is following directions, sitting there etc. She is a very vocal, high "spirited" child (wonder where she gets that?) ha!!

Has anyone gone through this and have suggestions. She really likes the class, she just is vocal and can't follow dicections. I have friends that I feel discipline excessively and I don't won't to do that, but I do want her to do better at the class.

Suggestions?
THanks so much for listening to me!
Mary
Mom to Noelle (9-24-01) and Lindsey (9-15-03)

THanks for listening. I hope this makes sense!!!

brubeck
01-16-2004, 06:33 PM
If you look through the older threads in the preschool/classes section you'll find a similar post I made more than a year ago! My daughter Amy was never the type to want to sit in circle time, and when she was about Noelle's age I started her in a parent/child preschool. She never was interested in the circle time, and ALL the other kids were. It made me so embarrassed, but then it was better when the other Moms would share in my little successes. The class lasted until she was almost 31 months. By the time it was over she enjoyed a few of the songs enough that she would come particiapte in circle time. But this meant running around, sitting in the middle of the circle, etc. She just couldn't get the 'order' of it. Then last Fall she and I took another parent/child preschool class. She was better at circle time there, but still wanted to wander a lot and move about. I had just resigned myself to the fact that she was a 'free spirit'. I mean here she was 3 years old and still unable to sit for 5 consecutive minutes of circle time!

Well in the last couple of weeks she has started a preschool where she goes by herself, but it is with the same teacher who ran the parent/child preschool. I don't know exactly what goes on (since I'm not there), but when I come to pick up Amy she is sitting quietly on the carpet with all the other kids and as long as she sees me she is content to wait until they call her name. I talked to the teacher and she said that when the parents aren't around then it is a lot easier to tell the child that 'this is what we do now', especially when all the other kids are doing it too.

So not a lot of advice, but just to let you know that I had similar goings on with my daughter but once she started going to these classes on her own she improved drastically.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you!

mary b
01-17-2004, 09:09 AM
Helen, thank yo so much!!!! Your prompt post was just what I was looking for.
Lately, I feel like i am so alone with a spirited 2 year old, it was great to hear your experience with Amy!


thanks again!!!!
Mary

brubeck
01-17-2004, 01:23 PM
Oh trust me, you're not alone. But the good news is that if you ever find another Mom with the problem IRL she'll be easy to find.... chasing after the 'spirited' child!

twins r fun
01-18-2004, 12:47 AM
Oh, I am soooooooooo in the same boat!! We were enrolled in a class for 14-20 month olds and Jacob and Caleb were 22-25 months at the time. They were the oldest by a lot and still the least "well behaved!" I will give them credit for sharing exceptionally well, but other than that their "school skills" are pretty bad! The other day I went to library story time with a friend and her toddler. I hadn't taken them before because I didn't think they would sit, but she kept telling me not to worry, it was in an enclosed room, they couldn't get far, etc. They did actually sit for awhile, but when they were done, they were DONE. And the enclosed room did absolutely nothing for me when they just got up, opened the door, and ran out in the blink of an eye. So I really have no advice, but lots of sympathy.