Don't Leave Me!
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Thursday, August 27, 2009 2:00 PM
I’ve been a mom for nearly three years and I feel like I’m in a good groove, for the most part.
But really, I’ve only got the hang of the baby and toddler stages. Everything beyond is still a mystery to me. Having school-aged kids? I have not a clue how to handle that.
Soon we’ll be taking a small step toward the next corner. Camilla is slated to start Atrium - our parish’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program - in September.
I am nervous.
It’s only two hours a week, but that is two hours more than Camilla currently spends away from us during a typical week. I’m confident that she’ll be engaged by the material and enjoy the class itself, but only if she can adjust to the being-away-from-Mama part of the equation.
Plenty of kids spend much more than two hours a week in daycare or preschool or similar environments, but those don’t happen to be part of our family’s life. And Camilla is going through a very attached stage right now. This past winter when Blaise was hospitalized she spent quite a bit of time one-on-one with Grandma, but her desire to be with Mama or Daddy is so strong currently that I’m not sure such an arrangement would work at this point.
I’m concerned that Camilla will refuse to stay at Atrium without me, or that she’ll be so overwhelmed by the prospect that she won’t even step through the door. I know my girl, and these are real possibilities.
Another part of me wonders if we should be even be attempting this. She’s just barely old enough for Atrium - technically she won’t be three until October - and waiting another year wouldn’t hurt.
So here’s where I get to benefit from the expertise of those who’ve gone before me. What has been your experience? How did you get your child(ren) to adjust to their first out-of-home situation like this one? What should I do to help prepare Camilla ahead of time, and how do I handle it when it’s time to drop her off for the first time? I know every child is different, but I’m sure that hearing about your experiences can’t hurt!
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