What, You Really Want to Stay at Kindergarten?

It started out as a normal day, I fetched Abang from kindergarten at about noon last Monday and he was telling me about his class, his friends and his teachers.

Then he told me that he wanted to stay at kindergarten “full day”.

“Why, Abang?”

“Because I like it.” This I-like-it answer has been quite typical lately.

“Yeah, ok, sure,” I replied to him, fully expecting it to actually not happen and almost pooh-poohing his request.

This is because it was so difficult getting him to even attend kindergarten in the first place. Basically, the first 2 days I took him to kindergarten, I stayed with him for about an hour or so and we left early, together. When the principal realised that he wouldn’t join the class and stuck by me the whole time, she suggested that I try leaving him there the next day.

“Yes, he will cry, but don’t worry, it usually won’t be for very long,” she was trying to reassure me as I probably looked like I was about to burst into tears!

So the next 3 days involved a lot of crying (on his part) and even more bribery. “Rewards” included going to the park after class, yes, at high noon and various other treats just to get him in the car. I figured once he was strapped in, there’s no turning back!

Every time I left him at the kindergarten, as I walked off I could hear his piercing scream even after I got in the car (which was parked across the road), shut the door and switch the engine on.

The turning point came when on the 5^th day I passed him off and as usual he was crying away. Then, amidst all the crying he actually said, “BYE BYE MUMMY, [UWAaaaaaaaa..] SEE YOU LATER MUMMY, [UWAaaaaaa...]” and managed a feeble wave as he cried his lungs out.

I guess by that time he accepted that he WILL be left at this strange but exciting place, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be sad to be left there without a familiar face.

The 2^nd week saw less crying and his teacher said he settled down faster and joined in the class with less coaxing. By the 3^rd week there was no more crying, although throughout the year he’d go through some periods of not wanting to go.

Which is why I was surprised that he wanted to stay on for a full day there.

The next day, Tuesday, he reminded me again. So I humoured him by talking to his principal about it (I made sure he heard so that he knew I actually did it). I told her I wasn’t sure why he wanted to, but if he was serious about it, I was fine with it as a one-off.

To cut a really long story short, she later explained to him what ‘full day’ meant (lunch, nap, tea with the other children and Mummy only fetching him about 5pm) and he stood firm.

“Yes, I want to stay full day,” a very confident Abang told her.

I had my phone with me all the time, fully expecting her to call by 2pm, saying, “I’m sorry, he’s been crying for you non-stop, can you please come and get him?”

Peh. I am too perasan and obviously underestimate my own son! No phone call, no drama and at 4:45pm I went to fetch him.

That, unfortunately, was the day he started to vomit (see House of Vomit). Apparently it started at 4pm after he woke up from his nap.

Somehow I don’t think Abang will want to stay “full day” again for awhile!