Today was my three year old’s second dance class, and she’s doing a wonderful job transitioning and not having me in the class with her. Unfortunately, the inevitable happened within a blink of an eye. As I looked through the glass observing Quinn have fun following along with the dance instructions, another little girl, who was having a hard time and refused to hold Quinn’s hand as the teacher instructed, decided she would take out her aggression on my daughter with a quick swat to the back of her head.
My little girl’s demeanor quickly changed as her smile morphed into a frown with tears welling up in her eyes. Though she tried to maintain her composure and did not burst out crying, it took everything in me to contain myself and remain in my seat as I muffled my deep sigh which caught the attention of the other parents except the one whose child hit mine, of course. The teacher handled it very well and stopped class to discuss why hitting is not allowed and not nice, but I found myself feeling helpless. I was not able to protect her, and I really am not sure what technique I should have her employ to address aggressive children who choose to hit her or put their hands on her.
When I was younger, I was not aggressive and did not like confrontation nor conflict. Quinn seems to be the same way. My dad would say, “If someone hits you, you better hit them back!” I just did not agree with this way of handling it then and do not now. On the other hand, I dreaded being bullied and found myself at the end of harsh treatment from children quite often. I want Quinn to stand up for herself but in a civil way. I asked her if she enjoyed class today, and she said, “I had fun until someone hit me. Why did she hit me, Mommy?” It upset me quite a bit, and all I could tell her at this point was, “If someone hits you, tell them to please stop and that it is not nice to hit.” I know this may not solve all of the future problems, but for now I think it is age appropriate. I hope and pray that there will not be many more situations like this, but Momma Bear needs to be ready when and if they do.
All the best,
Tanya
It’s official! My daughter and I attended our last parent and child class at the Little Gym last week. Now that she’s three, my big girl will be in class all by herself this upcoming Monday. I remember starting class with her when she was just six months old and just crawling around, giggling and babbling. Now she’s jumping, running and climbing and able to verbalize how she feels and what she’s thinking.
When I asked her what type of class she would like to do for the summer, she excitedly said, “I want to do a dance class, Mommy!” While my little girl loves to dance around the house, makes up her own little fancy moves and is very eager to wear her little tap and ballet shoes, I’m not too sure if she understands that I will not be in the class with her tomorrow. It does, however, it please me to know that she is already familiar with the teacher and really enjoys going to The Little Gym.
“Mommy, may I have my laptop? I need to send some emails to my friends.” my three old requested. No, she doesn’t have a real laptop, but it’s just perfect for her. The 
Since my husband works from home a couple of days a week and I teach a combination of online courses and in-class courses during the fall and spring, she often observes us at some point or another using our laptops. In these instances, she will often ask for her laptop so that we can all work together. Another feature I really love about this toy is that it is associated with Violet, the Leapfrog puppy Quinn also has, and she will receive an email or two from Violet, which she really enjoys. There is a version with Scout, the boy puppy as well. It comes in green. I would recommend this toy for anyone whose child is into technology or just wants a fun way to reinforce learning letters and even new words too.
“Straps go on the outside!”my three year old exclaims as she reassures herself that she’s putting her sneakers on the correct feet. Those velcro straps come in handy with helping her remember which one goes on which foot. Her Crocs, however, are a different story. She loves wearing them around the house; nevertheless, more times than not, they’re on the wrong feet. Her father or I will tell her, “You need to swap your shoes and put them on the right feet.” To which she typically responds, “They feel fine to me! I love them this way.” She’s even asked, “If they are on the wrong feet, how come I can still walk in them?” Sometimes, I just let her keep them on the wrong feet as long as she’s not tripping around, but it got me thinking about how everyone has their own shoes to fill, even my three year old. Sometimes what everyone knows to be correct may not feel right to her, and what is considered the standard way may not be “the way” for her, especially as she gets older and continues to become her own person. Perhaps this is an example of her ability to “march” to her own tune or even lead the metaphorical marching band rather than follow. I know she will eventually master her right shoe from her left. But the true challenge will be her ability to master right from wrong as she goes through life even if the majority of her friends are headed down the wrong path. Though there is no way of knowing what path she will choose, it gives me comfort knowing that her father and I will be there along the way offering guidance and providing her with some footsteps in which to follow.
Yesterday, my husband, daughter and I stopped my BJ’s Wholesale to pick up some fruit. (They actually have a nice organic selection). While I headed to the fruit section, my husband and three year old cruised up and down the aisles just looking around. After waiting a few minutes in the fruit section and realizing that they weren’t coming, I started searching for them in locations where I thought they’d be, such as the toy and candy section. To my surprise and pleasure, I found them in the book section. Quinn didn’t even notice me for a minute or so as she leafed through pages and begged, “Daddy, can I get this book please!” So I snapped a quick picture of her then said, “There you are are! I was looking for you two.” I composed a couple of blog entries on her love of books and reading, so it truly does please me that even when I’m not present and suggesting that she look at books that she will insist on going to the book section (then of course toys too) on her own, as my husband informed me she did. Here’s to a continued love of books and reading. That’s one item I can’t see myself saying no to my daughter about even if it wasn’t on the original shopping list.
“Can I see the book with you and the big stomach, Mommy?” my three year old inquired. At first, I thought she was remarking on the current size of my stomach, and then I realized that she was referring to the photo book I created to celebrate her birth. Actually, I’ve been chronicling her different milestones in the form of photo books since she was born, and every so often she wants to leaf through one of the books, look at the pictures and ask questions.
Mommy's Baby Steps 