The hubby and I decided to skip pre-school for peanut this year for several reasons. With an overactive toddler - seriously, this kid has two speeds: turbo-charged and asleep - it's been important for me to ensure we have activities lined up to encourage his social skills, direct his energy and get us out of the house.
There's music class every Thursday morning. There's our planned workouts with follow-up playground time with his buddies Wednesdays and Fridays. There's the once monthly art group play date. And starting this week for a month-long run was the Mommy and Me program at the zoo.
I've made no secret of my love, love, love of the zoo. My parents had given our family a membership for Christmas and it's been the gift that keeps on giving. We go often and peanut enjoys seeing and now imitating the animals. It's outdoors, has a playground, a train, it's a great walk for mama - the perfect storm of toddler activity. So when a friend passed around the info to the class, I signed up immediately. As the reminders started hitting my inbox, my excitement about this new activity grew.
And then peanut got a cold. He's been sniffly and has had a slight fever since yesterday. I kept him inside and occupied with low-key activities yesterday in the hopes that it would pass. I figured if he woke up cool this morning, we'd pack it in and go anyway. But nope. Still warm. Still obviously not feeling good. Still at home.
I'm pretty certain I'm more disappointed than he is (partly because he's got the attention span of a two-year old and I was smart enough to stop mentioning the zoo as soon as I noticed the first sniffle). That's when I realized that all these mommy and me activities are most certainly more for mommy. Two days of no activity has made me a bit stir-crazy. The more activities peanut and I do, the better mommy I am, the more engaged, the more energized. Even if those activities are planned by me (finger painting day, walks to the store, finding new playgrounds in town), they instantly give me something to work the rest of the day around. Is it weird that even just 30 minutes of planned activities makes the other 690 minutes of the day better?
Good thing we had to make that quick trip to Target for Children's Tylenol (my baby's all grown up and out of his infant meds). Coloring books and stickers from the dollar bins will have to do for today...and here's hoping peanut's feeling better tomorrow. We have playground time with his buddies at 11.
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3 comments:
So true, the classes and activities are at least as much for mom as they are for kid. I go a little nuts without regular out-of-the-house activities. And, in truth, I kind of rely on the classes and groups to provide kinds of interaction that I don't really feel like I can do 24/7, you know?
Can't wait for preschool. Oh wait, it'll be two more years before they're old enough... :-)
Aww. Poor peanut. Hope he feels better tomorrow!
I hope little T is feeling better. We are sick at our house too. It sux!
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