Primrose’s pre-school journey
How quickly time passes. Primrose walked through the door of her local preschool on Tuesday, 8th October. Nadine, Primrose’s mother, was already imagining the possibilities of what could be done without an 18-month-old scurrying around, clambering up, or climbing through everything.
A little backstory. Primrose clings to her mummy. Separation anxiety is probably exacerbated by our coddling (but that’s another story). We’re more worried than excited. Will she enter? Will she cry? Will she stay? What will we do if she doesn’t want to wait?
All those worries and questions were, as always, a waste of mental effort. Primrose waded in, grabbed the assistant’s hand she liked, and ordered her to give a tour of the kitchen.
“Mummy, you are in the past. I am an independent mature 18-month-old.”
Nadine thinks, “Fair enough. She’s yours, I’m leaving. Time to sleep… or tidy.
Primrose was adamant about the kiddie kitchen and essentially commandeered it the rest of the day. Primrose was not interested when it came time to sing along and sign Old Macdonald, which was done specifically to include Primrose since she is the only baby in the group who is deaf. She probably thought, “Well, yeah, that sounds like fun, guys.” I have a hotpot on which I am developing a new skin. “Catch you in a little bit.”
Primrose loves it. Mummy is also enjoying it, I should add. Primrose’s after-effects are particularly bad when she is asleep for 3 hours following preschool.
We are concerned about her inability to play and integrate with other kids. We wonder, “Is this because she is deaf?”
We are well aware that she is only 18 months old. In the big scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. We will do all we can as loving parents to encourage Primrose’s social confidence. We think it is important to point out in case you have the same question or are observing the same behavior in your children. We want to let you know that it’s not only your children who prefer to sit in the corner and be absorbed by their silent fantasies. Ours does, too.
