It’s the last week of kindy. 4 days left, assuming she doesn’t come down with some last minute bug as children do. She is going to truly miss one particular teacher that she has connected with, and who takes such good care of her. I have tried to speak to her about the fact that she needs to say goodbye to Miss Trish, but she assures me that she has invited Miss Trish to her birthday party (in April) and that she’s coming. (She’s not.)
This is going to break her heart as much as leaving Miss Charlotte at daycare last year did. E does not connect with many people - and indeed we have been told by her teachers that she doesn’t have specific friends at kindy - but when she does, it’s intense.
We have been given our class for Prep next year, and the two kids we were hoping for are not in her class, so that’s going to be rough too. But hopefully they have thought it through and put her with kids that will be good for her. She has had multiple transition days at big school for the staff to observe the children’s interactions.
Our biggest challenge that we see for school in 2025 is demand avoidance. E is incredibly smart and driven when it is something that she wants to do, or her idea. The moment you add your opinion, even just a suggestion, she refuses. She has even flat out said “I don’t want to do this because it was YOUR idea.” It makes it difficult even when it comes to things like getting dressed or teeth brushing. We have to be careful what language we use when making requests. For instance if I need to stop at Bunnings on the way home I will say “on the way home, we are stopping at Bunnings to buy X.” Which makes it a simple definitive statement of what is happening. The moment I say “can we stop at Bunnings” or “is it ok if we stop at Bunnings” she will categorically shut down and refuse.
So that’s fun…
next year I will be returning to part time work so that I can be more present and reduce the amount of time that E has to attend before and after school care. Watch this space…
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