Saturday, September 09, 2006

SPEAKING OF SCHOOLS............

Izzy has decided he hates school.

Two days a week I drop Izzy off kicking and screaming. He cries. Miss K, the teacher has to peel the child off of my legs.

It's such a pleasant experience.

Two days a week I wait for a phone call. I sit at home on pins and needles or I have my ringer turned on to "excruciatingly loud and annoying to anyone around me" on my cell phone just waiting for Miss K to call. At Izzy's preschool, if they continue to cry for their parents, they will call the parent to come pick up the child.

I have never had a call.

When I pick up Izzy, he is all smiles. He runs up to me with a big grin on his face and hugs me exclaiming, "I had a fun day!" Then by the time we walk from the Preschool to our home (a whole block), Izzy has proclaimed that I am a bad Mom. "Why do you leave me there?" he asks.
"I missed you Mom and I cried. Why won't you stay with me?" and "I'm still a baby Mom. You aren't supposed to leave me. I am still small. I'm not three you know. I'm only one."

When I talk with the teacher (and another parent who spies on Izzy after I leave) it's always the same response...."Oh, he had such a great day! As soon as you walked out the door, Izzy dried his tears and engaged with the class."

It sounds like a classic case of playing the Mom card. He knows what works and is not going to go down without a fight.

Great.

Thursday, Izzy was in such a surly mood that I offered he pick out his clothes to wear to school. Sometimes that will distract his funk and enable him show his enthusiasm. I kid you not...this is what he picked out.

Notice not only the grumpy expression and skull DJ shirt....but check out his wrist.

A rebel indeed.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

DO YOU THINK MAYBE HE MISSES ME-MA (I HOPE THAT'S SO) SEND HIM A BIG HUG AND KISS FOR ME

Anonymous said...

Tallulah: I'm not a parent, so I'm probably full of crap. But I *am* an AWESOME manipulator... So I'm wondering: maybe Izzy wants you to *think* he's unhappy and doesn't like school? Maybe he believes that by telling you that, he'll ACTUALLY be making *you* happy - meaning, he wishes he were at home with you?

Seems to me, he believes that his worlds are two separate places - that one does not talk to the other - and in that, he can use each to his best benefit? Hmmmmmm! Merge and conquer, I'd say. Seems to me that he's either really happy in school, or has brilliant coping skills when he's there - good news on either front.

--Viaggiatore (www.tuttivabene.blogspot.com)

(same comment problem here, BTW: aaaah - notsomuch loving the new blogger/google marriage!)

Velma said...

Love the ensemble! All he needs is a Sharpie-tattoo on one arm, maybe a heart with a banner that reads "MOTHER?"

tallulah said...

Viaggiatore- I think you are right on girl! You MUST be an awsome manipulator to come up with that theory.

Elle Starr said...

I CANNOT BELIEVE you're fouling up mayberry with such an outfit on the little tot! We're all about Gymboree and Baby Gap here, and you
re throwing the world off it's axis with skulls and studs. Damn girl!

Jennboree said...

HAHAHAHAHA...Poor Tallulah. No humor is lost in Izzy's shirt.

It IS true though. All the kids in Bella's preschool class (Bella included, most days) are the same. Major drama dropping them off, then all parents wait for The Call, only to pick up a perfectly happy kid at 2pm. The worst days are Tuesday after the long weekend.