My DD is 2.5 and I realize approaching the threenager stage. She has been going to preschool Mon-Wed and staying home with me Th/Fri for about 2 months now after doing fulltime daycare/preschool for her entire life. I'm also about to have baby #2 which definitely complicates her feelings/our home life. But Mondays have been really tough! She does NOT want to go to school even though she LOVES it otherwise. She had some particularly awful behavior this morning that I now realize was in protest of me trying to get her out the door. I think I handled it OK , but for next Monday, I'd love some advice on prepping LO that today is a school day, Mommy has to work, and that's OK, etc.
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We divide the week up into daycare days and home days and do a lot of talking about days of the week, Saturday and Sunday is the weekend and those are home days, going through weekend plans "and then Monday is a daycare day and you get to see your friends and tell them all about x, y, and z", etc.
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DD goes 5 days a week, but we have this same problem a lot of the time. What seems to work best for us is talking about all the things she likes a school that she'll get to see. She freaks out if I say "let's get ready to go to school," but if I say "let's get ready to go see [teacher's name]" she's usually okay.
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My son is the same age and goes to school 5 days a week, but we had a lot of travel and grandparents visiting and we do church on Sundays, so we have had a lot of different things happening on different days lately. I also work part-time so there are days DH drops the kids off at school and he sees me scurry off in my work clothes. Some days Daddy (who usually works from home) has to do a really long commute out of town and they see him running off in business attire while I drop off at school in my mom sweats and no make up.
Like @erinbaderin: We talk about what the day's plan is as soon as we get up in the morning. We say "today is a school day, Mommy has to go to work" or "today is Jesus day" (church day) or "no school today, we are going to the park/farm/whatever." Somehow telling him as soon as he wakes up helps it sorta marinate in his head. So on school days, he walks out of his room announcing "go school today." On weekends, he walks into the kitchen and says "No school today. Want eggs." (Because on school days we rush out the door with a snack trap of cereal and he gets breakfast served at school). Or on Sundays he walks out and say "See Jesus today. Playdoh." (He likes playing playdoh at the church toddler room.) He sounds kinda like Rainman, but its just because we constantly repeat repeat repeat what we're doing.
Lately at night, when we tuck him in, he'll ask if tomorrow is a school day or a Jesus day or no school or if Mommy's working or Daddy's working, etc. He wants to know the plan. So I highly suggest just doing that. Sure there are days he will say he doesn't WANT to go to school or whatever, but we'll engage him in a conversation about what he likes about school. "Are you SURE you don't want to go to school? You don't want to see your friends? Like Joseph? Or Hunter? Or Annabelle? Or Juan? Don't you want to ride bikes with Wyatt? See Teacher Jenny? Eat snacks? Get Goldfish!?" Usually he eventually gets crunk about something I suggest and he'll repeat back in the car on the way to school that he's going to ride bikes with Wyatt and eat Goldfish or something.
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We switched my son's part time schedule from Tues/Thurs to Mon/Thurs because he was struggling so much on Mondays. He had fun once he got there and settled in, but the morning at home and drop off and the first bit of his day were really tough.
We got him a dry erase calendar that we look over and mark which days are school days and which are home days. And we talk a lot about who is doing what the next day while we get ready for bed and during breakfast.
We also have a 4 month old, so that's been a factor. He had a hard time leaving for daycare when he knew Mommy was at home with the baby. That one we just powered through. Like, "yes you're sad. It's ok to be sad. What fun things will you do with your friends today? Will you color? Play cars? Etc."
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It makes me happy that my kid isn't the only one that does this.
What has worked best for us is making she we let her know the plan the night before. Also, if there's a story or something she wants to tell one of her friends, I try to remind her of that. But it's awful. Makes me feel so guilty, even though I know daycare would be more fun than staying with me.
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My 2.5 year old goes to daycare 5 days a week too.
Sometimes she says she doesn't want to go in the morning; I don't think it ever escalated much more, but I usually just say "I see, you don't want to go to school today." Then I almost start talking myself going "Hmm, I wonder what you'll do at school today" and then she joins in about who she'll see, what she'll do, etc and then she is fine.
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Thanks everyone. We've been trying to talk up school more and remind her what kind of day it is at night and first thing in the morning. I'm sure I'll be back for your advice in a few weeks when #2 arrives and then we switch preschools in August. Ugh so much change coming for DD. I feel terrible for her!
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We do the talking the night before and the morning of, but it doesn't always work for DS. So the next step is for us is to say, "you don't want to go to school? I hear you. We have to go to school and Mommy has to go to work today, but I understand how you feel." Then just move right past it onto a different conversation topic. Do you want x or y smoothie, let's read a book before we put our shoes on, come help me put on music while we get ready, etc.
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DD is 2.5 too some days she just says she doesn't want to go and I tell her I know but it is your place to have fun and learn while Mommy works! It has never been mkre than that!
I think she just says it to see what I say
What has worked best for us is making she we let her know the plan the night before. Also, if there's a story or something she wants to tell one of her friends, I try to remind her of that. But it's awful. Makes me feel so guilty, even though I know daycare would be more fun than staying with me.
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