I know that sending my son to Head start for 2 days a week is the right thing for his social development at the moment, but wow he has come home saying some interesting things! One of the best things about my son is that he remembers everything and repeats everything right now. So at the very least, I WILL know if someone is being mean to him. He's telling me everything that is being said to him. I have to say, if anyone gets any meaner than I've heard so far, I won't let him go back. I understand that one has to be stern when dealing with many children at once (or even just one at times), but being stern doesn't mean you have to be mean.
He comes home acting out what he's been to with the cat. For example: "Get in the line cat! I'm gonna put you in the line!" These quotes are not stern, and not 'as a matter of fact'. These quotes are harsh and mean. Not the words, but the way he says them. I know, it's a silly thing to worry over but I have to consider how he is being taught to speak to others. Also, and quite comically, the wonderful quotes of, "That's mine!". He's never had to say this though I know he's felt it many times before when his cousins come to visit. He's a bit spoiled and I think that he's learning this from the other kids because he thinks everything belongs to him. This is a good thing for him to learn as I hope it will morph into respect for other's things as well as his own. He's also come home telling my mother and I, "Don't say that!" I'm not sure what he said to grant that response, but we are having a hard time making him understand that he can't tell us not to "say that" when we tell him to pick up his toys, eat his food properly, or whatever. It's becoming quite an experience to see what he's learning from others and I truly hope that he eventually begins to understand these things a little better.
The reason I wanted him to go to head start was for more social interaction and because he is lacking in that area. He learns through observation and there is only so much my mother and I can teach him about how children should interact with each other. We do our best to be "in HIS world", but sometimes it doesn't work. I just have to remind myself that I can't protect him from everything, and that I must take the good with the bad and do what I can to help him become a productive and respectful adult while still helping him to celebrate his own individuality. He's only 3 and sometimes I feel like maybe I expect too much or put too much on him. I don't want to do that. I just want him to be happy.... and he usually is.
Blessings, and Thanks for Reading!
