Michael has holiday today and tomorrow. So by 8.15 Josephine and him were already in the car on their way to kindergarten! She was not overly keen and kept saying (but without crying): "No, Mamma. I just want to stay her wif you. I want to play wif you Mamma." ...heartbreaking!
Michael was really good with her though and very encouraging. He stayed with her the first 45 minutes and then as he left she started a big tantrum. She was apparently very upset. So much so that he phoned me a short while after and said that he really felt tempted to go and fetch her again. We agreed though to let her stay there for up to an hour. I also phoned the kindergarten to check how she was doing and they said she was in the group leader's arms and being read to. She was finding it difficult, but had calmed down and was fine. Oh!! Our darling Jozie! So that also made Pappa feel better. Anyhow, he went around at 10am and then played with her and the other kids in the gym room. They had a good time!
During the day today we spoke several times about her time there. These are some of the impressions she gave me:
1) "Mamma. I was just crying to Pappa. I just wanted Pappa to stay wif me. Pappa didn't stay and look after me! I was just cwying and cwying and cwying."
(of course we comforted her and responded to this. Amongst reassuring her of Pappa's huge love for her, I also told her that new things are sometimes difficult to do. Like riding her bike. In the beginning it was difficult. But the more she practised, the better she got. And now it's easy for her. It's the same with kindergarten. The first few times are tricky and then it gets better. etc)
2) "Mamma, Mamma! There was this boy wif a blue jacket Mamma! He's a nice boy! He was playing wif the other childwen and then he just hurt his leg. So he was just cwying and cwying.
...And then (voice down to a low whisper)....out of da corner of his eye, he saw a bweutiful pwincess. It was me. Pwincess Josephine. And he felt in love. (closing her eyes at this thought) And then he started to mawwy me. I just asked Pappa to put on my special white wedding dwess and then he was mawwying me. He waited at the top of the stairs to me. And then we danced. And he swinged me awound. And and and and (getting excited) I just had my bweautiful wedding dwess on. And he swinged me awound and awound (closing her eyes at the thought again). I just falled in love to the boy wif da blue jacket on. Aaaah! ....and "Racer" (her toy horse) also wanted to get mawwied to Mona Lisa (a pony she rides). And Mona Lisa just put on her special horsey wedding dwess and they went to a horse church and they felt in love."
I said: "Josephine, that boy in the blue jacket, he must be a very special boy. You can only get married once. You can only give your heart away once. Ok?"
"Yes mamma. He's just my pwince. I just love him."
Another story from kindergarten today: "Mamma, there was this other children. He just bit me. He bit off my legs and then my body and then my hands. And my head! He just wanted to make me dead dead dead!"
(Wow! But she was giggling while reciting this imaginery one!)
In general, I think she actually likes the kindergarten very much. It's a case of getting used to being without Mamma and Pappa during the 3 hours that she'll be there for. We'll ease her into it slowly though. I think it will be good for her. She's already feeling quite proud of herself for being "big enough to go to Kindergarten" now. So let's see!
