11.17.2009

Daily Sheets

At the kids' daycare the younger kids get something called daily sheets. Essentially it's the teacher's way of communicating to the parents information about the child's day. It tells you what activities were done, when the child was changed or went on the potty chair (and if there were any accidents), when they took their nap, what was eaten and how much, etc. Teachers also can use this sheet to say things like "Palmer had a really good day" or "Palmer seemed to cough a lot all day".

Last night when I picked up the kids I was a little surprised by the note left by Palmer's teacher. It read: "Palmer had a really hard time listening today. This is very unusual for him. I am concerned. Do you have any ideas why? Maybe the baby coming so soon is starting to effect him. We should talk about this."

The teachers work shifted hours so they are not always around for pick up and drop off. I was glad she was not there cause I was literally at a loss and didn't know what to say. I guess to start with it really surprised me because this was the first time I had ANYTHING indicated that Palmer was anything but his usual cheerful and sweet self. I looked back at all of his daily sheets from last week and there was nothing but positive notes saying how well he had been doing. I guess I feel like it was a little premature to assume that something was wrong just cause the kid had a bad day. Maybe he didn't sleep well after the long weekend or maybe he was coming down with something. I can understand concern after a pattern of unusual behavior after a few days at least but one day?

I am also at a loss about the whole baby thing. Palmer is not yet three and seems to be completely unaware that a baby is coming. Even when we were pregnant with Palmer Emily never really understood or cared about what was going on until after the baby was born. Palmer has a sister already and is used to sharing everything (from toys to his parents) already. I don't think its an issue and definitely not something I'm concerned about.

So today is our prescheduled parent teacher meeting. My goal is to bite my tongue. It is not new news at our house that I am not a big fan of Palmer's teacher. Luckily we have managed to fly under the radar as far as confrontation with her goes cause Palmer has never gotten in "trouble". On the other hand several other parents have told me stories that I guarantee you if it was my kid we would be in the director's office pronto.

At the end of the day I feel pretty confident that I know my kid. I know when something is going on and one bad Monday is not indicative of a problem. I just hope to get through the meeting without it getting tense. LOL who knew the drama that comes with daycare.

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