Adventures in preschooler wrangling
September 28, 2009 by Shannon
I….am…..exhausted. For two reasons.
- I worked out this weekend. It wasn’t a really difficult workout — just a hike with some hills and a lot of downhills — but still. I’m sore.
- I spent several hours wrangling a group of preschoolers.
And by group of preschoolers, I really mean Kellan and his three-year old twin cousins. So we’re certainly not talking about a classroom of kids, but wowee. It felt like it at times.
The boys were all great, and very well behaved. And I know Kellan was beyond excited to spend a bunch of time playing and exploring with his cousins. But really, how do preschool teachers do this kind of thing?
The logistics of transporting three small kids was tough to begin with. I had to borrow my mom’s SUV so I could get all three carseats in. (An SUV without the LATCH system, which resulted in a 30 minute installation process. Phew.)
Forget trying to know where each of them is on the playground at any given moment. The best I could do was make sure each of them ran by at an interval of 60 to 90 seconds.
We also explored a local nature center, and the boys had a total blast looking at the fish, turtles and a resident salamander. At one point, it looked as if one of the twins was going to stage a sit-in protest. He refused to unhand a stuffed salmon from the learning area, but somehow I distracted him. I have no idea how I averted this potential disaster.
What did I learn from our afternoon together? Several things. Have a cooler of snacks. Have those snacks in small baggies, so each kid gets his own. Have a small army of sippy cups on hand. Count your blessings if you can get them to hold hands everywhere you go.
Seriously. How do preschool teachers do this everyday? And parents of multiples? And parents with more than one kid under the age of four?
I….am….exhausted.
Comments (6)
I don’t know how they do it, really. I have two kids under the age of five and somedays it’s easier just not to leave the house. Today might be one of those, given the nightmare our quick trip to Albertsons just was. I am so beat by the end of the day, by one glass of wine knocks me out by 9pm. I, too, just started a new workout routine (Jazzercise 3 days a week) and while I’m hoping it will give me more energy eventually, right now it’s just kicking my ass. Not to mention, every random muscle in my body.
I’m a little tired from just reading about your day! I bet it was a fun one for your and your little men!
So I’m not crazy for being so fracking exhausted after three mornings of running from pre school to pre school teaching class after class of two and three year olds?! And then running to teach a few classes of elementary music?!
Good.
I was starting to feel like a wimp.
I have no idea how teachers of younger children do it? I would ask my son’s kindergarten teacher that on a daily basis. I would chaperone the field trips and regret it the minute I was surrounded by 20 screaming 5 year olds. You survived the weekend - consider it a major accomplishment! And yes snacks are a must, always and forever.
I am starting my 28th year of teaching preschool and I think the key is to exercise to keep strong and try and see experiences from your child’s point of view. I also have two grown children and a 16 month old granddaughter that I watch a couple of mornings a week and I have to admit it is sometimes easier to do my classes than my own kids. When you can relax, enjoy, and laugh with them it really makes a difference. Also, it is OK to be exhausted. This is hard work but it passes in the blink of an eye. You will sleep someday. Enjoy the fun of seeing the world through their eyes.
If you happen to be planning to be effective having
a payday loan company that truly works together
along long- length, like on the telephone or around the internet,
make an attempt to find the one that is just not planning to require faxing
payday loans these
individuals view the credit being an investment since they earn a smaller profit
through interest.