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| Today's a Wee Play Day! |
When I first met Ms. Kathy, I had no idea that she would
have such a profound impact on my early experience in this journey of
motherhood. I was a first time mom and
had chosen to stay at home with my son. This
was almost eleven years ago and being a SAHM was lonely from time to time. I had no family in the area and while I had
kept in touch with many of my work colleagues, I felt out of the loop.
So I signed up for something called Mommy and Me at the
local community center. I thought it
would be a mother/child singing, crafting and activity wonderland. What the class description neglected to
mention was that it was actually an aerobics class, which infants were invited
to attend and watch from their strollers. True, my butt needed that class more than I would
admit, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.
Next, we tried Gymboree.
The facility was well equipped, and I loved the fact that if a toy made
contact with any child’s mouth, it was immediately removed from play and sent
to the “to be sanitized” bucket (Hello, my name is Tanya and I am a germaphobe). My son
had a good time, but did we actually learn anything? The teacher’s policy was: Participate if you
want to, but running around the room like a certain cartoon Tasmanian devil was
perfectly fine too.
Shortly after that, I attended a local toddler and
pre-school fair and stopped by a table and met Ms. Kathy. She was starting up a weekly class called Wee
Play. Sort of kind of similar to
Gymboree, but with a good helping of structure.
So we signed up.
We loved it. To this day, going to Wee Play is my favorite
memory from my son’s toddler stage. During
the opening free play, mommies would chit chat about everything under the sun,
so desperate for socialization were we. The kids learned about sharing toys (or not)
and how to meet new friends. Circle time
was not my favorite (more on that later), but it was an eye opener. I had to learn how to handle less than ideal
situations, such as my son at times (okay, fine – MOST of the time) refusing to
participate and/or becoming a tad disruptive.
We dubbed the class “pre-school prep", and that’s exactly what it was.
Craft time immediately followed and again, Ms. Kathy taught
me how to step back and allow my child to create what he wanted to, whether or not it remotely resembled the sample finished product. She would casually pass me by and whisper under
her breath something about "hovering". Activity
time was fun and sometimes a bit stressful, but again – I had to learn how to
deal with engaging my child in polite social play and how to re-direct him when he
went astray with a plastic hockey stick. Or hula hoop. At snack time, once again – the moms resorted to chit chat while the
kids munched on the theme related snack of the day. The class ended with each child waiting in
line to show off their craft to Ms. Kathy and have a little one- on -one time with
her, which included the selection of a special sticker to end their Wee Play day.
Once my son outgrew the classes and moved on to pre-school,
I missed Wee Play more than I can explain.
When my daughter was born several years later, I couldn’t wait to
enroll. The location had changed and the
schedule went from being once a week to a handful of classes a day. There were birthday parties and music class
and summer camp. Ms. Kathy had really
made a name for herself in the area.
When I took the class the second time around, it really hit
me how different each child is and how much we change as parents from one
experience to the next, taking the bits and pieces we learn along the way with
us.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw a mom struggling to
keep her child seated during circle time.
When her son became disruptive, Ms. Kathy signaled it was time for them
to work it out in the hallway and return when things were under control. Ms. Kathy and I smiled at each other. I can’t tell you how many times I took that
walk of shame in the hallway! This time
it was my turn to reassure some of the first time moms that each stage of
childhood has its own unique caveats, but it’s all part of the process.
Once my daughter outgrew the Wee Play program, I remained in
touch with Ms. Kathy –I am happy to call her my friend. Admittedly, I was saddened when I heard Wee Play
was closing its doors. Even though we
were no longer taking classes there, I loved the opportunity to stop by with my
kids to say hi to Ms. Kathy and talk about the early days.
A few days ago, as Ms. Kathy was at the studio with the
moving truck, breaking everything down, I just had to go one last time and say
goodbye. I learned more about motherhood
from her than she knows. She taught me
how to know when to step back and not do everything for my kids, no matter the
frustration that was encountered. She taught me to let them get messy and worry about the clean up later. She spoke to the kids in a way that
told them that what they said mattered to her and never did she use the dreaded
“baby talk” with them. Most of all, she taught me that our kids do not have to be perfect in order for us (and others!) to measure our success as parents.
Ms. Kathy – you were the very first real teacher the kids
ever had and you are forever in our baby book of memories. Thank you for everything. We love you.
