Mommy & Me

Oliver, playing in the Oatmeal with his craft project hat on his head, at Mommy & Me.

I must admit, there was trepidation. Lots of trepidation. I haven't had too much success in Mommy & Me styled classes with Oliver and I had just signed us up for the wildly popular Mommy & Me class at a very strict, very religious local nursery school.

First, there was G&ymb*oree classes. He ran like a wild man mowing the other children down and swatted at me or had a general meltdown when I reigned him in. The G&ym*bor*ee solution was to keep moving Oliver up in classes until he was in a class of kids one year older and of a size that he couldn't trample as easily. The trampling was solved, but Ollie soon discovered he could use the play equipment for unintended purposes, like climbing to the top where he could make a running leap and into a splat on the mats. I had to hover over him on everything, which he did not like and led to tantrums.

Then, there was music class. He liked dancing to the music and making his own in the forms of screams...as he attempted to shove items in the electrical sockets, remove all the tap and dance shoes and open and close the bathroom door of the not-so toddler friendly dance studio where the class was held.

I had been advised by a "child professional" that Mommy & Me wasn't a good idea. She recommended I put him in nursery school, without me, for another day a week. I just couldn't. I did the same Mommy & Me with Chloe, I felt too much guilt not doing it with Oliver. So, I signed up.

As the first day of class approached, I have to admit that I was nervous and kicking myself for paying for the entire year of Mommy & Me in advance. I fully expected things to go the way of the other Mommy & Me classes---I expected him to run wild, not participate in circle time and for us to "lock-heads".

But, Oliver proved me wrong. He participated, he listened and he did quite well with the 10 other kids in class. He sat on my lap during circle time, though he got a little bored with storytime and made an attempt to snatch the children's Bible for himself. He enjoyed free-play (what two year old doesn't?) and he and I made a craft together (see his hat). He even attempted to play with the play-doh, which he always declares as "Ooooh, ucky! Gwoss! I don't yike it."

He even stood at the door at the end of class while I gathered my purse and our coats and told the other kids, "Bye, baby!", as each one walked out (apparently they are babies because he is the oldest child in the class--I guess he just knows that).

Here's to a good year of Mommy & Me and lots of fun crafts and songs with my little man.