Constant Change May 22, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Parenting 101 , trackbackThis past weekend was a whirlwind of activity. We got the kitchen, dining room and the stairwell/hallway painted on Friday. On Saturday, I drove to Maine with a friend for the Hanna Anderson outlet store. I snatched up many of a cheap deal there! Sunday was rainy and dreary and we ended up having someone visit us in the afternoon. The girls were crazy the whole weekend.
We are trying very hard to understand Soleil as of late. She is, well, going crazy. A friend brought to my attention that this may be the Kindergarten psychosis. Apparently, children can show their fear of Kindergarten via insanity. They waver in between independent children and needing to be coddled toddlers. They are afraid of the unknown and the expectations on them. We adults don’t help much by putting the "in Kindergarten you can’t <insert undesired behavior here>".
Clearly, this is just as difficult as a phase for her as it is for Luna to be the Toddler-to-Preschooler. I wish I had noted the reason earlier. I just feel rather, well, inadequate if you know what I mean. Should I have realized that was what was going on?
I am working with her on several issues that she hits in terms of wanting to do big Kindergarten stuff. She wants the training wheels off of her bike. Maybe in June. She wants to make her own breakfast. Okay, we can do that.
She wants to help make the coffee for mommy, yes, we let her (except for the water. I don’t really want her to hold the glass carafe)
Although she is growing older, I think we will constantly see these same patterns erupt: a new challenge followed by strange behavior that indicates she (and Luna) are mentally working on the challenge.
Speaking of challenge: Luna took 10 years off of my life in Sunday. I was sitting at the top of the stairs. We have a split entry, you walk in and can choose to go up or down stairs. She decided to walk up the stairs, ON THE 3" of tread that are on the outside of the railing! She tapped me and I looked up, realized that she would have a 12ft or more fall if she slipped, held onto her and YELLED for Jay to get over there RIGHT NOW!
I told her she wasn’t in trouble, but don’t ever do that again! Good Lord! The thought of it still freaks me out!
Comments»
Aren’t kids just the cutest (unless of coarse they are hanging over you and your imagining them falling on top of you) - then, not so cute!
Aren’t kids just the cutest (unless of coarse they are hanging over you and your imagining them falling on top of you) - then, not so cute!
We are going through the “kindergarten independence phase” also. It drives me crazy! “I am old enough to go to the public restroom by myself”. “I am old enough to get the mail by myself”..etc,etc,etc…And then he cries at the drop of a hat! He has also done the walk on the outside of the railing thing…That IS scary…
I did the same walk-up-the-stairs-on-the-outside thing when my parents took me to tour a townhome they were thinking of renting. They were horrified when they came out onto the upstairs landing and I was there too — on the other side of the railing. I was seven, not three, but I still would have been in a world of hurt if I’d fallen.
I’ve caught G doing the same thing on our stairs at home. We only have seven steps, so she’s not really in any danger, but I always tell her to get down just on principle. Kids …