I signed Ingrid up for a summer program that some Montessori teachers are doing. It's in one of the teacher's homes, Ingrid will go for two mornings and have lunch there. We went to an open house yesterday to see what the set up is, meet other kids and their parents, and talk to the teachers.
Ingrid was in love the minute she stepped inside! They have three rooms set up with all the goodies from their classrooms. It all looks so inviting, but I was terrified to see glass things and ceramic things and other breakable things right at Ingrid's level. She is such a tornado! She breaks shit all the time! I immediately started to feel apprehensive.
There are kids that older and have gone to Montessori for a couple years, so they know what everything is for. Ingrid, however, is brand new to the whole game, and just went from one thing to another. I don't know why I felt apologetic, but I did! I was like oh my god, she will get into everything and knock shit over, and they'll all think I'm a bad parent!
I have never ever felt this way before! I've been pretty confident in my parenting skills, I love my child and her feisty ways, and I do believe a child's personality can outweigh what their parents do (aka, it's not my fault she's such a spaz!)
So yeah, it was a real eye opener. I know she'll have fun but now I'll all worried that the teachers won't be able to control her or they won't like her because she's such a handful. I know what a handful she is and I love her because I'm her mother, but other people don't have that connection. I think I just have to take a deep breath and know that they are teachers, they have seen a lot of different children in their time, they know how to control other people's kids. Right?
Monday, December 2nd
5 years ago
2 comments:
Oh Amber, I know exactly how you feel. Emily started at Montessori back in Feb of this year I and was horrified to see things like glass bottles, hammers and nails, and a child level hotplate, etc.
The first thing Emily picked up was a set of glass bowls with buttons and tweezers, which was naturally a sorting and fine motor skills activity, but she just threw the buttons everywhere. I was mortified.
But the teacher sat with her, calmly explained, and then showed her what to do and asked if she wanted to do it properly by herself. She didn't (cue more shame from me), so they packed it up and put it away.
These days it is one of her favorite activities, she does it calmly and 'properly' as well as sewing, hammering and cooking. All things I just knew my whirlwind child would NEVER do.
So there is hope. Ingrid will love it. The teachers will love her becasue Montessori is all about spirit and individuality, and it sounds like Ingrid has plenty of both.
That made me feel so much better, thank you fiona!
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