Backwards
I’ve been approaching Gleek’s Kindergarten adjustment backwards. Every day I keep asking the teacher “How’d she do?” and I get a tale of the most difficult parts of Gleek’s day. Then I’d discuss those with Gleek. With so much focus on the negative, no wonder Gleek isn’t sure she likes Kindergarten.
I need to be asking the teacher “What did she do really well today?” and dismissing tales of misbehavior with a “we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
I also need to be making sure that the hour after kindergarten is over is a quiet time. Patches can lay in his bed looking at books while Gleek reads to me and I read to her and we talk about happy things. I did this today and Gleek seems calmer, happier, more peaceful this afternoon. For the first time since kindergarten began she isn’t frantically seeking a friend to play with.