This fall, a bunch of friends and I started a co-op preschool for our five little ones who are all about the same age. We meet Wednesday mornings for two hours. Each mom does it two weeks in a row. We are only doing 11 weeks this fall, so we don't encroach on the holiday frenzy.
Last year, Jed wasn't much of a socialite. At playgroup, which we attended weekly for more than two years, he still would sit on my lap and stare silently at the other children for at least an hour. Then if most of the people left he would climb down and go play by himself. But this year, things have changed.
Typically, when I show up at preschool, he runs shouting up to the door and politely lets himself in with a bang. Then he disappears. I guess he won't miss me, so I leave. Zoe and I usually go exercise, and if we are close enough to home I go practice the piano for 45 minutes or so (wahoo! So fun!) When I pull back up to whomever's house to pick him up, Jed comes flying out the door and down the sidewalk.
"MOM! Go back! I TOLD you I wanted a LONG ONE."
Hi Jed, did you have fun at preschool today?
"NO, MOM." He begins to bodily shove me back in the car. "I TOLD you GO AWAY because I want a LONG ONE!"
Preschool is just never long enough for Jed!
I walk inside. I ask the Mom how it was today. Great, of course.
So, how did Jed do?
Well, he didn't do circle time. He decided he'd rather sit on the couch and read a book. No amount of coaxing would convince him. Then when she started to sing the good morning song, he looked up from his book and announced, "No, you're singing it wrong."
"Jed, do you want to come over and do it with us?"
"No, I don't think so, not really. I just really want to sit here and read my book."
But he graciously sang from the couch the proper way to do it, then went back to his reading. The children and teacher started over. When they finished, without glancing up from his book, my charming child announced, "Yep, that was right."
And that's about how every week goes. He only somewhat participates in the activities, but he is full of commentary and orders. He won't do the activities in their proper order. Nothing on his face, no girly stuff, no tracing of body parts. He goes over and around but not under or through. At least they report he eats treats with enthusiasm (he is my child.)
Nursery is about the same. He never bites, he never shouts, he never is mean or outright disobedient. He's no trouble, but he refuses to follow any orders whatsoever. My little man has an opinion, and very little will change his stubborn mind. Whenever I peek into nursery, all the other children are happily drawing or playing a cute little game, and there's my son in the corner, one of the nursery workers reading him a book. When he comes to music time, he insists upon sitting in a BIG chair, not a little chair with the rest of the cheerful obedient children, and when the time comes to go back to nursery, he refuses to go. He's suctioned cupped his backside to that chair, he's staying to see mom's lesson, because he helped with it this morning and he knows it is coming. Where do I draw the line? He's perfectly behaved, but at the same time such a stubborn old man.
Meanwhile, back at preschool, when the kids are running around in a little herd, playing and laughing, the other mothers snicker as my son shouts orders:
"You! I am the dad and you are my sweetheart. And you are my friend and you are the bachelor."
He commands everyone into the playhouse. Jed organizes the house and gives everyone their orders.. He grabs a shovel and a stick and holds them high.
"Now let's get it done and save the day!"
He leads the charge down the slide.
That's my boy.
(See the side-wards eye glance? Yep, Granny Z knows that look. Every picture I ever drew as a kid had the character with eyes glancing to the side, and now it is so funny to see Jed look at things out of the corner of his eyes all the time.)
