First Annual Day Function- Check!

It was a proud moment for us as parents... Ami had been chosen for her first dance performance on Stage. She was going to be a rabbit in the Jungle Safari themed Annual Day and dance to Bum bum bole. 

She has been humming & singing the first line of this song for two weeks now... All I knew was I am supposed to get her ready in her costume (according to the list of Dos & Donts provided by the school) and deposit her at 2:30... 

Now lets talk about her day... She woke up at 7:30, had milk, got ready & we went to get her passport size photographs clicked... Then took her to the park where she met the toddlers of the walking group for the first time. (My pixie was the oldest). She played ther and after a photo session of sorts was tired... 

So I brought her cranky-self back home to put her to sleep b4 the function... She hardly slept for an hour when I had to wake her up to get ready... Rush... Rush... Rush.... Change...Cry... Cry... Cry... Eat... And got her to the school only 10 mins late. Phew!

Went back home... Grabbed a bite... Changed... And rushed back to school. Waited patiently for my baby's performance... And then bum bum bole started... 

First thing I noticed was Ami was not wearing her head gear... Uh oh! She was in 'the' mood! Next I realised she was just standing... Not moving at all, as wer most kids in the performance. 

Princi actually made them dance a 2nd time... But nope! My kid was definitely-stubbornly among the kids who didn't groove or dance to the beat. 

There was this one moment on stage when Ami recognised us in the audience and we witnessed a shy smile. :) 

Umang feels she is more like him & will never enjoy limelight on the stage. My deepest hope is he is wrong and that she gets out of this phase & displays her talents to the world. Coz thers no doubt in my mind that she is talented- I have seen glimpses of that at home. Oh my baby is just shy... And I do hope she can overcome this shyness soon. :)

First Picnic from Play School- Check!

So today La Petite had organised a picnic for Ami's class. Naturally my baby joined in and went to Leisure Valley with all her school friends. She came home to say she had fun in the sun with her friends and two-two mams. 

Awww the spirit of independence is so evident in her these days... Her world and experiences will not always clash with mine going forward. All I can do is stand back and smile and wish her all the best to experience life her-style.. May Huzur Radhasoami Dayal always keep an eye out for her. :)

Gosh! But isn't she growing super fast? Sob sob!

2-2 Stars...!

The first thing Ami told me today, when I picked her from school was "Mumma! Ami 2-2 Stars!" On enquiring I was told that the class teacher shows her appreciation for something done by the students by drawing stars on their hands. So "2-2 stars" meant Ami had been a good girl in school today. It was the first proud moment of achievement for my baby. :)

 

Fly so high... Direction Sky...! :)

So today's Ami's first halloween. And she is a butterfly. :) She was quite charged up to play dress up, oh & a little bubbly too... Like she is finally free to flatter her wings & fly away :)

 

My dream is to fly... Over the rainbow so high... :)

Uniform Smiles :)

On Tuesday, Ami wore her school uniform for the first time. :) It was La Petite's first bday and they had lots of fun activities for kids. So even though Ami was slightly under the weather, rather than keep her home, I decided to take her to school so she could have some fun. She wore her colorful lavender-lime green uniform to school and felt at one with the other kids at school. 

Return gift- a house gullak

Play School Begins. :)

Ami started play school today... Among all the humdrum of daily grind and regular routine, today became a red letter day coz it was her first day at school! 

Getting Ready: 

Seeing off: 

Posing with the school bag:

At Le Petite: 

And the experience:

We walked into La Petite and Ami refused to leave my hand and go to her mam. So I was asked to bring her along to the class. Stayed there for 5 mins, trying to get her interested in the numerous ride-ons, slides & toys other kids were playing with. At first she naturally didn't show any interest but then the most unique thing happened. Two girls her age walked up to her and held her hand and took her to a vacant ride-on. She let them guide her without any fuss. I was asked to leave slowly. When I left her in the room, she called out for me 2/3 times but that was expected. 

I guess she soon forgot me, coz after waiting merely 15-20 mins at the reception, I was asked to leave and collect her later. Anubha Mam thought she was adjusting well and there would be no problem as she was engrossed with her 'new' friends. 

I went back an hour later expecting to see a screaming bundle asking for "Mumma" but she came out aaram se, ek dum quiet. I even looked for tear stains but thankfully there weren't any. She just gave me a look (that hardly lasted a min), which was a cross between angry & "Did u dare leave me mommy?" She was normal and laughing even before we left... Even waved bye to mam & 2 other fellow students before leaving. 

All in all looked like a good day. 

Anubha mam told me she had half a parantha with raita. Was not sitting on corner (as I'd feared)... But had been playing with other kids quietly. She has asked me to bring her earlier tomorrow as she didn't cry today. (Touch Wood!)

Once we left La Petite, on our way back, I had to literally park my car midway & make a video of the 'hulla' happening in the car... Phewww! It was all excitement personified...

A letter to my baby as play school starts...

My Pixie is about to start school tomorrow. And yes, it is only playschool and she only goes for three hours a day, but this is the beginning of the end. Once she has made this giant step, she is walking off into her own life one tiny toddle step at a time.

From now on, we’ll need to consider school holidays when planning family trips. From now on, I will need to label her clothing and mark her lunch box, packed with healthy snacks and love. From now on, she will be learning and experiencing things away from me. It’s a giant step for both of us.

For those of you who have been through this, trust me, I know that I will make it out on the other side. I also am pretty sure that she will love it. But there are always fears and insecurities associated with change. She’s got her backpack and is excited for this adventure. 

So I wrote her this letter for her first day. I know she can’t read it yet, but I know that one day, hopefully, she will hear the words and they will still ring true.

My Darling Girl,

 Today marks the start of a big adventure for you. Off to a whole new environment. You've been ‘stuck’ at home with me for over twenty months now and while I am sure you've had fun, I know that this day will really mean, the world becomes your own giant toy box. 

I pray that you learn a lot. School is for learning, after all. I pray you learn some dance, some language, some art and some music. I pray you will learn to catch a ball and throw one, to balance on a beam and to build a tall-Lego tower. I pray you learn how to listen and how to speak. I pray you learn how to play nicely with others and give others space when they need it. I pray that you learn to hug someone when they are upset and to say ‘sorry,’ (and mean it,) when they are upset because of you. 

I pray that you are spared hurt. Not that you won’t come home with bruises and grazes and the occasional plaster or two, no. That is part of the learning process, after all. I pray that emotional hurts won’t occur too often. Children can be cruel and this is something that already makes my jaw tense and my knuckles whiten and my heart break. The thought that you, my precious baby, will be a victim of cruelty, is something I dread. I also know that being hurtful and cruel is something that, in the end, hurts us. And so I pray that you are spared the hurt from that as well. I pray that you remember to be kind. You are an exceptionally sweet child and I honestly pray that it continues. 

I pray you learn to say “Please” and “Thank you.” I pray that you remember that you come from a home where you are blessed, but that not everyone is as blessed as you are. I pray that you will always remember to be generous and to share. I pray that you remember to be obedient. I pray that you make special friends. Some of my best friends to this day are friends I made in school. I pray that you can dance and sing and play in puddles together now. And in years to come, I pray that you can dance and sing and play on sport’s fields or concert stages together. 

I pray that the teacher will see what we see when we look at you- a precious, sensitive little soul, frightened of much in the world, but willing to try almost anything when holding the hand of someone she trusts. I pray she will see that you want to please and you want to be attended to. I pray she will understand and love you like I do. I pray that she will help you continue to flourish and grow. I know that this is truly a magical day. I loved school and loved learning, even when I was naughty or disobedient. You've grown so much and so quickly.

Never stop growing.

Never stop asking, “Why?”

Never stop singing.

Never stop being in awe of nature.

Never stop being the truest little ‘you’ you can be.    

I pray that you remember that no matter what: no matter what you do today or tomorrow, who you befriend, what you wear, who you marry, what you become; I will ALWAYS love you and ALWAYS be proud of you. Enjoy this milestone, my darling. You’re in for a wonderful time. 

With loads of love

Mom

Introduction to Anubha Mam at La Petite

So we were invited for a half an hour meet & greet session at La Petite today. Ami was introduced to her class teacher Anubha Mam and taken to her class. As was expected, she refused to let go of my finger; but she did manage to play a while without my hand (just for a few minutes actually) before we finally left.

Today, at 20 months she turns to La Petite for the start of her new education. :) Lets hope she has fun while she is at it... 

The formal-regular session will begin on Tuesday the 9th of July :) Keeping my Fingers Crossed!

Pixie Dust will now manufacture at... La Petite!

As is obvious from my older write up, I have been canvassing the vicinity for a good play school for Ami. I must have seen at least ten and spoken to another half a dozen on phone and finally today we chose La Petite.

I'm going to try and walk you thru my decision. Or an account on 'here's why I did it'... Well originally I had a thing about BIG names! La Petite was GD Goenka and I wasn't looking for a 'brand' for the play school I send my daughter to. But then they won me over in ways I feel is hard to explain but I'm sure going to try...

Active Management: I liked the involvement of the management. The fact that I visited them when the school was off & the Principal was available to talk to me the first time around (when most of her teachers were on a break), appealed to me. She painstakingly spent more than half an hour with me answering all kinds of basic questions I had, about the set up and convinced me that my child would be in good hands.

Clean & Hygienic: Some of the playschools in the vicinity have sooo much promise- there activities for toddlers are really something(some maybe La Petite should look into & ape), but they loose out on this factor which to me is a very important criteria for where I send my daughter. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect hospital like antiseptic-dettoled up everything, but if my child is to spend 3 hrs of her day everyday in any place, I expect it to be clean enough for her to keep going back day-after-day without falling sick. Play schools are known to have the hazard of infections, through contact with other kids but can we minimize it please? So La Petite won that one for me hands down  It was THE most clean play school I visited in the last 3 weeks.

Montessori: It is a Montessori play school and I like the fact that they have a lot of these materials in all their classrooms. I think this subtle way of teaching is far more effective in someways. (A footnote follows)

Daycare: They had a decent daycare facility for kids. Not something I need immediately but I liked the fact that if sometime in the future I do decide to go back to working, my daughter will have a nice daycare facility readily available in a place she would be used to. 

Happy place: Somehow this was the crux of the whole thing for me. From friendly staff to brightly lit classrooms and corridors, sandpits to splash pools, activity room in the basement to pottery wheels outside; everything about the place just committed happiness to me. It just screamed that Ami will be happy here. 

And at the end of the day isn't that, what all parents want? That when our child returns home, we can go down on our knees and ask him/her, not "What did you learn today?" but "Was school fun? Are you happy?"  I know I'll be happy if my child just nods, smiles & wants to go back the next day. :)

Footnote: 

Maria Montessori's story: A little girl once saw a wet sticky caterpillar trying to come out of a cocoon. She kept watching with wonder. The caterpillar gradually tried to spread out its wings waiting for them to dry. In order to help the caterpillar she brought a fan to hasten the process and enable the caterpillar to dry the wings faster and with ease.

The caterpillar’s wings drying unevenly and in haste did not open at all and the caterpillar toppled over, never to fly as a butterfly.

The girl learnt a huge lesson that day, that nurture has to be a very aware and conscious process according to the natural needs and growth pattern of the child. It cannot be as what we think it should be, at our convenient time and according to our unreal expectations .

La Petite is situated at Malibu Towne, Sohna Rd, Gurgaon.