Things we have noticed:
1. The boys are happy to get up in the morning. This isn't so much surprising for the little one, he's always happy.... but the older one usually would cry about getting up and struggle with us, often saying he didn't want to go to daycare anymore.
2. The boys are excited to go to daycare. They get up, get dressed, and load up in the car. They chatter happily on the way to daycare. Sometimes they sing. They always giggle.
3. When we drop them off, they give us their hugs... they say their goodbyes. The baby no longer cries out in distress as though he's having a separation anxiety issue... he simply comes to the gate, smiles and says "bye bye mama, dada".
4. The older boy has started eating MUCH better. This trend was beginning near the end of his stay with his other daycare provider, but the marked improvement has been noticed lately. He comes to the kitchen asking for his supper, he sits and eats - really eats - doesn't just play with his food and state he's too full after a couple of minutes. He no longer says his tummy hurts and doesn't want to eat, only to ask for a snack before bed.
5. There are no more late night snacks. The boys eat their suppers without struggle, play, and go to bed full and happy.
6. They both fall asleep earlier. They are up most of the day, they play hard, and they feel fulfilled, so they are ready to rest in the evening.
7. As a result, the older boy wakes up on his own in the morning. He smiles, says good morning, and will sometimes watch tv until we are ready to get him dressed. Today, he actually got out of bed and went into the living room to play until we needed him to get ready.
8. There are no more battles in the morning, or the evening. No more temper tantrums. No more throwing things about in frustration and retaliation. No more arguments. We ask him to do things, and he does them. He just DOES them. Sometimes he will ask why... but it's after he's already done what was asked.
9. There are no more time outs at his new daycare. He doesn't get in trouble at all. Now, I know this is the first week... but he seems happy to listen - from what I can tell, this is because of a VERY different approach at behavior modification... and a lack of someone expecting him to fail at being good and looking for him to step out of line.
I honestly can't believe how much of a difference just a few days has made in his behavior. He is eager to please, he wants to be good, he LOVES going to his new daycare. The little one has always been easy going, but even he seems more chipper in the evening.
We now walk up to the daycare in the evening with a sense of ease. We no longer cringe, expecting the worst as we hear a report of a little hellion that has been in time out all day. Instead, we are met by two smiling faces and a daycare provider who offers a glowing report of what wonderful little sweethearts they are and what a joy it is to have them.
I don't want to compare... or judge. But this really makes me feel bad. Why? Because it has been a struggle to get up and go to daycare for so long. There were tears, cries of not wanting to go, even tears from the little one who is normally rather laid back. They were happy to come home in the evening, often clamoring to be picked up and loved when we picked them up, with a sense of relief that mama and dad were finally there for them.
It is such a relief to have happy monkeys in the morning... have them feel secure and ready for their day to begin and have them in a relaxed state. It makes me wonder what they were going through behind the doors of their other daycare. I know the older one spent many days in time out - not just a few minutes, entire days. I was noticing that the younger one was often fetched from his crib in the nap area in the evenings (though I know he is not much of a sleeper once nap time is over). So... now I am left with a lot of unanswered questions, but overall a sense of relief that we were blessed with the chance to move on at this point.
No comments:
Post a Comment