The Lone Man

Munch is experiencing some growing pains in day care this week. He was out sick on Monday, but Tuesday afternoon when I picked him up his teacher said that he had a very rough day because both of the other boys had transitioned to the 2s room from the 1s. Consequently, that left Munch with four girls--and he wasn't happy about it!

Apparently, he spent the day wandering about the classroom, unwilling to commit to playing. If he did play, he took his ball to the corner and played alone. He could be cajoled to join hands for Circle Time, but that's about it.

I find this whole situation hilarious, minus of course Munch's apparent unease with the absence of his friends. I also find it incredible that at nearly 22 months, he already recognizes gender differences. This truly is wired in the DNA. I figure--he'll learn to work with women!

Of course, we haven't controlled for all factors--two girls left his class at the same time, one for the 2s room herself, another for financial reasons. Munch adores these girls, saying their names all the time. Maybe he just doesn't like the four girls left!

I'm hoping that his friends' migration to the 2s room will ease Munch's own looming transition in a couple months--he hates the 2s room, cries upon entering it (even though he knows the teachers and it's a room adjoining the 1s room). My son has inherited my and my husband's resistance to transition and change, it seems.

The typical process for transition is for the kids to spend a couple hours a day in the new room, increasing the time over a few weeks or a month until they're used to it and can spend the whole day there. When Munch, at 15 months, finally started transition from the infants room to the 1s, he screamed and cried so bad when he had to switch back and forth that he went cold turkey--one day he was all infants, the next day he was all 1s. And he was perfectly happy.

The transition to 2s may be slightly more confusing thanks to the rooms' close proximity. It's not something I look forward to with eagerness (see previous comment about me and change). I like that Munch is comfortable and happy with his teacher. I hate that at this young age he already has to learn that things don't stay the same. So as I imagine him wondering where "Co-Co," "Ar-lee," and "Jazzy" are now, I do feel a tiny bit heartbroken.

But--hopefully learning how to evolve now will help him in school and in life, so that he doesn't cry for days at a change the way I sometimes still do. I can't tell you how many times, when one of my sisters is having anxiety at a new situation in life, I say, "It's a transition ,and transitions always take 2 weeks to get used to." At least, that's what my mother told me.

But again--Munch can't understand the concept that "things will get easier" and it's "normal" to feel out of sorts when things change. He just knows they've changed.

Maybe it's time to set up a few play dates!