I just got home from dropping Liam off to school. I’m not sure why, but for the past few weeks he’s decided that he doesn’t want me leaving anymore, and he draws out the farewell process for as long as possible before a teacher comes to my rescue.
Today was no different, except that afterwards one of the teachers pulled me aside to ask me about why I had chosen to enroll Liam in preschool when he could have gone to transition. Confused, I responded saying that I thought he was supposed to be in Preschool, to which she had to get into an in-depth discussion of how the school system in the Northern Territory worked and how considering how he is behind the other kids, it was probably the best decision to keep him down a year. Um, okay? I was still pretty sure I had enrolled him in the right year, but man was I getting worried hearing about how behind he was.
In the end, it turns out it was all just a massive stuff up on my part. I had written his birth date wrong when I enrolled him, so they thought he was a full year older than he actually is. So while his language skills are still being assessed, the poor teacher felt awful for making me think my son was considerably behind when he’s not.
If only…
Seriously, what kind of parent messes up their child’s birth date on something as important as school enrollment?! This baddie parent right here, apparently.
Sigh.
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Matiti
March 9, 2013 at 12:33 pm (UTC 9.5) Link to this comment
My parents messed my sisters birthday up all they way until she started school. The only reason they realised her birthday is June not July is because they had to get out her birth certificate to enrol her. I have to stop and think very time I’m asked one of the kids birthdays. I can never remember which of the girls was born when lol
Neri
March 9, 2013 at 12:48 pm (UTC 9.5) Link to this comment
@Matiti Oh thank goodness, I’m not the only one who gets dates muddled up! You would think that with all the pain, joy and happiness, the date would be burned into our minds. Evidently not!
Deseret
May 6, 2013 at 11:58 pm (UTC 9.5) Link to this comment
My son went through the same stage when he started childcare. First 6 months, Dad dropped him off no issues. We got him in 3 full days, and I had to start dropping him off (right as he transitioned to a new room due to his birthday, and on the end of month long holiday) and all of a sudden there are huge fights and him not wanting me to leave, leading to extreme tardiness at work.
I ignored it for about a month, then I started to suspect that there was something off in the classroom. A bully (maybe because the teachers admitted there was some bullying going on), social awkwardness, or maybe he just wasn’t ready for the transition to the new room with older (bigger) kids, most of which were the youngest of a few compared to his giagantic only child self. I don’t know what it was. It did get better after a few months, and I got better at pushing him away to leave. It got way better after some of the kids left for the next room/preschool.
Now he’s moving up again, with some of the same kids, and he’s apprehensive about it. I know he’ll be fine. He has to be, I just have to be there to make sure he has the support and social skills (which I suck at) to deal with it.
Writting the wrong date isn’t as bad as treating him like he’s older or younger than he is. Not a shit parent, just perhaps a shitty brain day.
Nicole R.
May 9, 2013 at 7:11 pm (UTC 9.5) Link to this comment
Heh, I have lot of shitty brain days lately. For Liam, it’s a shyness thing. He’s much better now — in fact he pushes me out of the room! — but he still takes a while to start talking to anyone. I wonder where he could possibly have developed a trait like that from? *blush*