Here's A Special Trick I Know

So, while Morgan loves her preschool class, we have had to overcome some adjustment to the daycare portion of Morgan's day.

Morgan is basically a rock star at her old daycare, which is our neighbor's house across the street. Patty and Joe are considered members of our family. Their house just feels like an extension of ours. All of the other kids in Patty's daycare are Morgan's dear friends. The girl I consider to be Morgan's best friend at this point goes to Patty's daycare. Morgan asks to go to Patty's house on weekends. In other words, Morgan would rather be at Patty's house than our house most of the time.

A couple days after starting preschool, she started getting upset and crying when I would drop her off at the daycare in the morning. I didn't see this coming. I should have - especially considering the paragraph above where I just extolled the virtues of Patty's house - but I didn't. Morgan has always adjusted so well to new environments that I assumed the new preschool/daycare combo would be a breeze. And it was for the first few days, so I was high on gratitude for my wonderfully well-adjusted child. Until, of course, it all fell apart and she began clinging to my neck/leg and shriek-crying when I would try to leave the daycare in the morning.

It feels almost physically painful for me to walk away from Morgan when she is upset and calling my name. I made sure always to stay positive when I dropped her off, remind her that Daddy would be there to pick her up after naptime and then pry her off of me and pass her off to one of the caregivers in a quick fashion so as not to linger and make things worse. But that didn't seem to make much difference and she continued to be upset every morning.

And then, finally, last week the daycare sent home a project they did in class that included a paper heart and the words to a song tucked inside an envelope that they created with construction paper and yarn.

(to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Here's a special trick I know,
When you're sad and scared to go.
I'll take your hand and kiss it here (take your child's hand and kiss their palm),
This kiss from me you will hold dear (close their hand 'around' the kiss).
Down your hand and up your arm,
Into your heart my kiss goes on (touch their heart with their closed hand).

I sing this song to Morgan every morning now after we hang up her backpack and jacket. She hasn't cried one day since I started doing this, because she knows "she has mommy's kiss with her all day."