Mommy's Diary

Month 24 - Starting day care

January 23, 2001

We are back. Tiger has had such a great visit to China. Every day he wanted to go out to ride a bus or a car and an elevator. His language is exploding also.

Feburary 8, 2001

I'm feeling very sad today. This week is Tiger's first week to go to a day care center. I had hoped that one week would be enough for him to get used to the new environment but he has been getting worse and worse every day.

The first day he didn't cry when I left him although when we went to pick him up at the end of the day, he was sitting in a corner alone with his face scratched and his eyes red from crying. The second day he cried when I left. The third day he started to cry the minute we step in the day care and his eyes set on his teachers. This morning he started to cry on our way to the day care center long before we reached its door. Last night he woke up every hour and cried for mommy. It looks to me that he is really scared.

Tiger is a very sensitive boy. He had been staying with his grandma when I went to work before he turns two. He has never been around with many children and English speaking people. So I'm sure the day care setting is quite foreign and frighten for him. I know he has to learn to deal with people some day. I just hope I can help him to get adjusted sooner and easier.

Feburary 15, 2001

Tiger had been sick and stayed home for two days now. He seemed to be quite traumotized by his experience at day care center. Every once a while, he'll say "Mommy go to work." and then his eyes would start to become red. I would hurry to assure him that mommy's going to stay home with him for the entire day. Once I played a pretending play with him trying to get him used to the idea about daddy and mommy go to work and he go to day care. I named a bear daddy bear and another mommy bear and others little baby bears. When I said to those baby bears: "daddy and mommy is going to work now", Tiger started to cry. I feel so sad for poor little Tiger. I wish I could do more for him.

Feburary 21, 2001

Tiger had developed such a great stress over his first day care center he would whine even at home whenever he thought about it. One night he woke up at 2:30 and whined and whined nonstop for almost 3 hours. I tried everything but he couldn't be comforted and I cried with him too. At last we sat on the floor holding each other and rocking and I told him two stories and he finally calmed down. I was so happy to be able to sooth him. We became very upset with KinderCare (Tiger's first day care center). Tiger never had any lunch and any nap and the only time he had some snack was peanut butter and I have told many of his teachers many many times that he is allergic to peanut. Once Fan went to see him late in their nap time and he saw Tiger standing alone in the room, one teacher was patting another child and another teacher was with a girl playing computer but nobody was with Tiger. You would think being new he should be given a little more attention. He had also got a cold (which I know is normal with day care since he has more chances to get a virus). However his behavior became very bad. He had learnt to abruptly push away the medcine we gave him (he was so good two weeks ago when he got the influenza before he started day care). He learnt to throw things when he was told no. When I called home to see how he was doing he slapped Fan on the face and pushed the phone away. (He used to love to talk to me over the phone and he never hits.) I know he may be feeling bad because of the sickness but I'm pretty sure that he was unhappy also. On last Friday Fan and I went to see another day care center called Children's House. It was a Motosorri school also. We had looked at it before but didn't choose it since we thought that their equipment was old and Kindercare just have this castle like beautiful building. But this time we knew what are the really important things. We saw the teachers there are so nice and knowlegable and experienced and the children there seems to be so happy. It is so different. Tiger now goes to the Children's House. We feel we've made the right decision. He got to know the two full time teachers and the director on the first day. On nap time when he didn't want to nap and started to cry Becky would take him to another room and she told me that this gives them time to get to know each other. He then would nap for one hour. On the first day he gave everybody lots of fives and he huged Becky when we left. He becomes happy again when he is at home, those misbehaviors dissappeared. I mean he still cries when we send him to children's house but I don't feel uneasy any more because I know the teachers there will help him and I'm sure he will become his happy self again even in the day care. I feel very lucky that Children's House still had Tiger's place open.

Feburary 28, 2001

Tiger is doing great at Children's House. He will not cry much now when we leave him. He is such a happy boy at home too. Last night he said to me: "Don't go to day care." I asked, "Which day care?" He said, "That colorful day care." I said, "We'll never go to that day care again, ok? Do you want to go to Children's House?" And he said yes. I was so happy. Tiger now can really communicate very well with us.