Phee & Bun go to school

It's not exactly school. It's not even pre-school. But twice a week for the past 3 weeks, Phoebe has started a separation program at Kidville called KVU- Kidville University. Like many of the classes she has taken in the past 2 years, it is filled with fun activities like art and books and music. There's 45 minutes in the gym at the end of each class where Phoebe (and Bun) get to jump on the trampoline, hang on the bars and play hide and seek (Phoebe calls it Hide & Peek) with her lovely teachers; Jess, Carmen, Sonia and Cyrene. The class is made up of 12 two-year-olds. Some have been doing the separation thing for awhile and say good bye to their grown-up with ease. Others are new to this drop-off game and there are tears. Sometimes lots of tears.

The first week, I stayed for class on both Monday and Wednesday. It was wonderful to see how well Phoebe does in new environments. She's amazingly adaptable. The second week, I left after the first hour. Phoebe was not happy to see me go. I wasn't too thrilled to be leaving her in tears. I was able to hang out in the hallway and peek in to see how she was doing. Eventually, she calmed down. Perhaps that moment was harder on me than it was on her. In the third week, I tried to leave after just a little while. Again, tears and lots of clinging on to her ever-present Bun, always a comfort in hard times. But this week, Phoebe was ready. Over the weekend we talked a lot about "School" and how she goes by her "Self" and Mommy does errands. She would say out loud, "Mommy will meet me in gym." She was processing it all, getting ready for the Monday morning drop off. Today, on the way to class she told me she might "cry a little." The she said "Bun might cry a little." I told her she could comfort Bun so she wouldn't be sad and I'd meet them both at gym. The hand-off was seamless. Neither Phoebe or Bun cried this time and Mommy is happily ensconced in Starbucks across the street with time to update my blog. My little girl is growing up, taking one little step at a time towards the life that awaits her.