A week ago today, I took Oskar to Summer Camp and left him alone for the first time. The past 2 times I have stayed with him and we all agreed he was ready to take it solo. He has cried before when I leave him with babysitters, even Milla when she has sat during evenings, but this time was different for me and perhaps him.
The night before, I explained to him that the next day he would do summer camp on his own. He was not keen on the idea, but I thought it important to prep him a bit in advance. I was a wreck from the moment I woke-up but I held it together.
We said hello to the chickens when we arrived and I stayed with him for a little while. He made muffins out of sand and wanted me to sit down and have tea and muffins with him. We also dig together and put dirt/sand in dumptrucks.
Then it was time. I notified Karla so she could take him. Then I told him it was time for me to leave and that we needed to say goodbye. He knew what this meant. We hugged several times and I tried not to draw it out. After Oskar and I said goodbye, I could hear him crying and calling for me. It broke my heart and as soon as I left the gate, there were tears of my own.
Fortunately, David had site visits not too far away and he met me at Peets which is how this moment got documented. There is actually some video which upon watching this evening made me tearful again. They warn you about this stuff but it creeps up on you.
After Peets, I wandered aimlessly in Laurel Village killing time. The teachers said to stay close in case they needed me to come back and get him. They don't let them cry longer than 5 minutes. I got a call 1 1/2 hours later when I was in a bookstore buying Oskar loads of new books (lately, very much drawn to the classics like Corduroy, Mike Mulligan and the Steam Engine, Stone Soup(we read almost every night) and The Little House) and they said he was doing just fine. A relief.
David checked on me again after another site visit and he dropped me off at home. I had walked to Summer Camp.
When I went to pick him up, Oskar came to the door somberly with his "night-night" in his hand. His bottom lip was trembling. Ouch. He was his old self soon enough but the lip trembling was a doozy.
Today, was the 2nd drop-off. We did things a bit differently by saying goodbye indoors rather than outdoors where all the kids are playing. I read books to him beforehand and then gave him his "night-night". He was still sad and cried out my name, but I felt stronger and didn't breakdown. They said he did very well and I think we are on our way and the real deal of preschool in the Fall will be much easier (god i hope so). The tearful goodbyes might be around awhile but I think the worst is over.
The night before, I explained to him that the next day he would do summer camp on his own. He was not keen on the idea, but I thought it important to prep him a bit in advance. I was a wreck from the moment I woke-up but I held it together.
We said hello to the chickens when we arrived and I stayed with him for a little while. He made muffins out of sand and wanted me to sit down and have tea and muffins with him. We also dig together and put dirt/sand in dumptrucks.
Then it was time. I notified Karla so she could take him. Then I told him it was time for me to leave and that we needed to say goodbye. He knew what this meant. We hugged several times and I tried not to draw it out. After Oskar and I said goodbye, I could hear him crying and calling for me. It broke my heart and as soon as I left the gate, there were tears of my own.
Fortunately, David had site visits not too far away and he met me at Peets which is how this moment got documented. There is actually some video which upon watching this evening made me tearful again. They warn you about this stuff but it creeps up on you.
After Peets, I wandered aimlessly in Laurel Village killing time. The teachers said to stay close in case they needed me to come back and get him. They don't let them cry longer than 5 minutes. I got a call 1 1/2 hours later when I was in a bookstore buying Oskar loads of new books (lately, very much drawn to the classics like Corduroy, Mike Mulligan and the Steam Engine, Stone Soup(we read almost every night) and The Little House) and they said he was doing just fine. A relief.
David checked on me again after another site visit and he dropped me off at home. I had walked to Summer Camp.
When I went to pick him up, Oskar came to the door somberly with his "night-night" in his hand. His bottom lip was trembling. Ouch. He was his old self soon enough but the lip trembling was a doozy.
Today, was the 2nd drop-off. We did things a bit differently by saying goodbye indoors rather than outdoors where all the kids are playing. I read books to him beforehand and then gave him his "night-night". He was still sad and cried out my name, but I felt stronger and didn't breakdown. They said he did very well and I think we are on our way and the real deal of preschool in the Fall will be much easier (god i hope so). The tearful goodbyes might be around awhile but I think the worst is over.
By the fourth child, Holly, you'll be so happy to just drop him at the curb and wave from the car!!!
ReplyDeleteThere's a special connection with the first one. Just keep telling yourself this is good for him - and you! You don't want him tugging at your skirt when he's 6! I'm sure it will get easier each time now. You're both doing great!! : ) Grammy
hang in there. you did great. i get it.
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