Drew Guards the Queen

Since birth, Drew has always been a lovey-dovey, snuggly little guy and a total Mama's Boy. So much that until he was about 4 months old, he would not allow Aaron to hold or soothe him. It actually affected poor Aaron so much that I swear I was already picturing us in family therapy 10 years down the line trying to restore the damage to the father-son relationship that was inflicted during infancy. Fortunately, he outgrew it and now he is now definitely a fan of Dad. But the Mama's Boy streak has not gone away. Little Drewbie has always been slow to warm up to strangers and preschool has been no exception.

This year he is attending school for two mornings a week at the same school as Cade. For the month of September, the two year old class only comes for two hours each morning, giving them a chance to ease into the school schedule. Presumably, by the end of September, they will all be sufficiently warmed up to the idea of being left by mom for extended periods of time and they will be allowed to stay the full three hours.

For these first several weeks of school, Drew would be fine until I pulled into the school parking lot and then the little lip would pull out and the big puppy dog eyes would fill with tears. Honestly, the silent glances of resigned betrayal in my general direction were far more agonizing that it would have been if the teachers had removed him kicking and screaming from the car. It was rough.

The teachers kindly informed me that Drew could "guard the queen" as he spent the first three weeks of school standing next to the door of the classroom for the entire morning and refusing to participate in anything, including snacktime - normally his favorite activity. Naturally, this information was just what I needed to assuage my guilt about leaving my Baby Boy at school. Additionally, they asked me to please be first in carpool line because he became extremely upset when other children left before him. Super.

As the end of September approached, each day I anxiously awaited the news that Drew was warming up to school and finally, it came. In the fourth week, Drew's teacher informed me that he "didn't want to admit it but he was having fun". Meaning that he would play happily until he caught a teacher looking at him, and then out would come the lip and the puppy dog eyes.

By the next week of school, he graduated to staying the full three hours along with everyone else and he happily jumps out of the car in the morning and climbs back in at lunchtime with a smile on his face. Both Mommy and Drewbie have survived the first test of separation.

Now we are on to our next two assignments - the church nursery and the childcare center at the YMCA (where Drew goes while Mommy works out). Last week the church nursery worker informed me that Drew "didn't want to play and insisted on standing next to the door the entire time." Here we go again...