Fitting in with the First Timers
Sweetie Pie and I have one day a week that's just the two of us. Doodles is in day care three days a week and Pie just two so that I can give her just a smidgen of the alone time that Doodles had in my never-ending quest to alleviate the guilt I feel about not giving Pie the quality time she needs. So, in my quest, I signed us up for a Gymboree class. But the thing is, in class, I feel like a big fat fraud.
Why is that? Because everyone else taking a class with just a six- to ten-month-old child obviously just has one child, because few people have the luxury of having a place to stash their older children. So while everyone else is oohing and ahhing over their children's milestones, I'm the voice of doom.
Some of the moms took one look at Sweetie, up on all fours, rocking back and forth, trying like heck to move forward and occasionally sliding backwards, and they all exclaimed, "Oh wow! Look at her go! Any second now, she'll be crawling!" to which I can only respond, "Oh, good God, I hope not! Please, stay immobile!" (Or at least as immobile as she is--that girl can cover ground in no time by just rolling.) The moms look at me like I'm crazy.
And then there's "parent sharing." One part of the class, the teacher asks a question and we all go around the room and ask. The first class I attended, the question was, "What are you reading your child?" Every mother gushed, "Oh, Goodnight Moon!" or "Guess How Much I Love You" (and you all remember how I feel about that book!) or something similar. When they got to me, I had to really wrack my brain. "Um..." I scanned back to the last three books Pie was read. Thomas the Tank Engine: Diesel 10 Means Trouble (worst book EVER written!), All Aboard Trains, and The Little Engine That Could (do you see a theme here?). Damn, I know I've read books just to Sweetie! And then I remembered the batch of Sandra Boynton books I had read to her a few days ago. "Oh, we read lots of books like Barnyard Dance and Hey, Wake Up!" I said. And then I made a mental note to read more baby books to Pie (in all fairness, I do read her a few books at bedtime, but I couldn't think of a single one at the time. They're mostly the touch and feel books, which are her favorites).
Last class our parent sharing question was, "What has your baby done that surprised you?" Everyone else had comments about how her baby suddenly had teeth or how the first laugh was surprising. What surprised me? I am in awe of Sweetie Pie. Every little thing she does is amazing to me. I watch her with true wonder. But the truth is, nothing is surprising. Well, maybe that when she has a P.O.M. (pee on mom) it really is more like a P.O.C.P. (pee on changing pad) because her pee doesn't arc, it's more of a low fountain. But somehow that didn't seem to be the answer they were looking for. I finally came up with a lame, "That she's just so darn active!"
On the plus side, I'm more adventurous with Pie in class, willing to put her on new equipment and trusting her abilities. It's easier for me to relax about little things like spit up and runny noses. And I'm definitely the one mom in class who's not rushing her baby on to the next stage. Well, that's not completely true. I am pining for the sleeping stage. Some things just don't change.
Why is that? Because everyone else taking a class with just a six- to ten-month-old child obviously just has one child, because few people have the luxury of having a place to stash their older children. So while everyone else is oohing and ahhing over their children's milestones, I'm the voice of doom.
Some of the moms took one look at Sweetie, up on all fours, rocking back and forth, trying like heck to move forward and occasionally sliding backwards, and they all exclaimed, "Oh wow! Look at her go! Any second now, she'll be crawling!" to which I can only respond, "Oh, good God, I hope not! Please, stay immobile!" (Or at least as immobile as she is--that girl can cover ground in no time by just rolling.) The moms look at me like I'm crazy.
And then there's "parent sharing." One part of the class, the teacher asks a question and we all go around the room and ask. The first class I attended, the question was, "What are you reading your child?" Every mother gushed, "Oh, Goodnight Moon!" or "Guess How Much I Love You" (and you all remember how I feel about that book!) or something similar. When they got to me, I had to really wrack my brain. "Um..." I scanned back to the last three books Pie was read. Thomas the Tank Engine: Diesel 10 Means Trouble (worst book EVER written!), All Aboard Trains, and The Little Engine That Could (do you see a theme here?). Damn, I know I've read books just to Sweetie! And then I remembered the batch of Sandra Boynton books I had read to her a few days ago. "Oh, we read lots of books like Barnyard Dance and Hey, Wake Up!" I said. And then I made a mental note to read more baby books to Pie (in all fairness, I do read her a few books at bedtime, but I couldn't think of a single one at the time. They're mostly the touch and feel books, which are her favorites).
Last class our parent sharing question was, "What has your baby done that surprised you?" Everyone else had comments about how her baby suddenly had teeth or how the first laugh was surprising. What surprised me? I am in awe of Sweetie Pie. Every little thing she does is amazing to me. I watch her with true wonder. But the truth is, nothing is surprising. Well, maybe that when she has a P.O.M. (pee on mom) it really is more like a P.O.C.P. (pee on changing pad) because her pee doesn't arc, it's more of a low fountain. But somehow that didn't seem to be the answer they were looking for. I finally came up with a lame, "That she's just so darn active!"
On the plus side, I'm more adventurous with Pie in class, willing to put her on new equipment and trusting her abilities. It's easier for me to relax about little things like spit up and runny noses. And I'm definitely the one mom in class who's not rushing her baby on to the next stage. Well, that's not completely true. I am pining for the sleeping stage. Some things just don't change.
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