Our 1st Week of Daycare!
MONDAY: It’s 7:20am and we’re pulling into the daycare parking lot. There’s joyful singing in the car, “We’re going to school! We’re going to school!” We go inside Lee’s classroom. He immediately breaks away from me, runs over and hops onto a little tractor.
LEE: “Bye bye daddy!”
ME: “Bye bye son!”
When we picked him up at 6pm, his teacher told us he did very well for the first half of the day, but by the time lunch was over, he figured out that Daddy wasn’t coming right back…and when the first parents started rolling in and picking up their kids around 3:45pm — Lee lost it!!! Here’s a picture of me, wifey, and Tiara picking Lee up from his first day (notice Lee’s sad face)…
TUESDAY: We pull into the daycare parking lot at 7:25am, and as soon as I turn the engine off — Lee notices we’re “there” and he starts crying. I take him inside, he clinging to my neck, while at the same time throwing backwards karate chops at the teacher who’s trying to pry him out of my arms! As I’m leaving, I pulled into the parking lot of the building next to the daycare and for 10 minutes I contemplate driving back over there to rescue him. All of a sudden my wife calls my phone.
DAMITA: “Hey babe, what are you doing? How’d Lee do when you dropped him off?”
ME: “Lee – he hollered like somebody was beatin’ him with a stick. Me? I’m parked in the front of the building next to the daycare, wondering if I should go back and see about him.”
DAMITA: “No, go to your meeting & let him tough it out.”
WEDNESDAY: 6:45am…Lee wakes up, and for the first time that I can ever remember, he doesn’t even want to put his clothes on and get dressed….it’s like he can smell that mean ole’ daycare in the air!!! We’re in the car headed there, and before I even turn my signal light on to pull into the daycare parking lot, Lee spots the place and goes nutts!!! When I picked him up that evening, he had on a different shirt….His teacher told me he cried so hard and for so long that ended up making himself throw up… I notice that he’s extra quiet, and he seems to be weak and lethargic. He didn’t eat much that night and he went to bed early…
THURSDAY: By this time, I’m feeling so sorry for him that I decided I wouldn’t take him to daycare so early since I didn’t have any morning appointments. So after dropping wifey and Tiara off at the park-n-ride station & school respectively, Lee and I go back home to have breakfast together. During the ride, he was cautious…I noticed him looking out of the windows several times — tears locked and loaded in his eyes… When we pulled back into our driveway I could literally hear him breathe out a sigh of relief. We enjoyed a great breakfast; watched a little “Sid the Science Kid.” Had a few laughs and even danced a few moves. Then, I asked him to put his jacket on. That’s when the stare down began…He knew what was coming…quietly, he eased his arms into his jacket. I put his hat on his head and out the door we went. As I drove, I watched him in the rearview mirror, and I could tell that he hadn’t fully recovered from Wednesday’s saga. My heart is aching because I know how rough these first few days have been for him. Sure enough, I pull into the parking lot, and he goes into a painful cry…
ME: “Lee, don’t you want to go to school and see your friends?”
LEE: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
ME: “Lee, don’t you want to read books and learn things with the other kids?”
LEE: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
I unbuckle him and walk him in…he’s crying uncontrollably the whole time. We’re in his classroom. I unzip his jacket. He zips it back up. He’s still crying uncontrollably. I go to hang up his bag – and he makes a mad dash for the door! By this time, I’m crying too…
LEE: (crying…) “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
TEACHER: “Don’t cry Lee, it’s going to be okay!”
ME: (crying…) “I’m sorry son, but you have to stay at school!”
TEACHER: “Don’t cry Dad, Lee’s going to be okay!”
LEE: (crying…) “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
I finally leave…I’m as much of a wreck as he is…I found a couch and sat down to get myself together. After about 3 minutes his teacher gets him to calm down, and I finally leave.
FRIDAY: I decided to have breakfast with him at home and take him in a little late again. When we got there this time I notice something a little different. Even though he was whining, we wasn’t crying as hard as the other mornings. Per his teacher’s instructions, I drop him off and leave out quickly. Damita got off work early on Friday afternoon so we went and picked Lee up together. When we got there, we decided to look inside his window to get a sneak peak at how he might be doing…and to our utter delight, we see Lee walking around the room, smiling, laughing, and playing with other kids.
…Although our first week of daycare was rough, I’m confident that Lee — and Daddy — are both going to be alright.
I was thinking about putting Ashlen in daycare a couple of mornings a week. After reading what you and Lee are going through, I think she’s just fine at home with me! Lol
What a heart-moving, gut-wrenching story! Uggggggghhhhh! Especially reading about those big crocodile tears that I’ve witnessed first-hand and almost couldn’t take it…!!! I love the way you shared not only the emotional trauma for Lee, but also for yourself. And not even any talk of allergies… just outright CRYING! I love it Pastor. Thanks for being so transparent and blessing us with this!
Paster that was a great story. It is really hard on parents and children when they are home for so long. The pattern is broken and children for the most part live by patterns. It is so hard to see your child that way it hits hard in your own hart. I am really happy that it all worked out for both of you the first week is always the hardest. In my case Melina still begs to go to school. She will wake me up saying ” It’s time a go to school ” she loves it so much. i am sure week 2 will not be so bad.
It will get easier, I promise. My biggest daycare advice is just make sure you give him a chewable vitamin. Kids are not the cleanest creatures.