Yesterday was Mazzy's first day of "Insurance Policy". It was the third time she met her teacher. The first being at a home visit last Friday and the second at a playdate in the park with the rest of her new classmates over the weekend.
In each instance, Mazzy was uncharacteristically shy so there was no way for her teacher to determine her exceptional brilliance and fast track her straight to Harvard.
At the home visit, Mazzy became oddly obsessed with the teacher's smiley face stickers rendering her completely incapable of engaging in any other activity.
At the playdate in the park, she hung onto my leg with her head buried between my knees except for the five minutes when she pitched a fit during her turn for a head lice check.
On her first day of school, Mazzy's first impression was as the kid who likes to eat play-doh, paint all over her clothes and cling to the classroom teddy bear as if it were her own.
What's an over-eager-highly-competitive-NYC mom to do?
I watched as Mazzy walked around a little excited, a lot confused and very, very quiet. I did my part which was to stay on the sidelines and observe.
I did not tell the teacher that Mazzy knew all the words to the book that was being read out loud. I did not tell the teacher that yesterday someone gave Mazzy one of those smiling flashing puffer balls (see right) as a gift and an hour later, she very appropriately coined it a "martian"— a word I have no idea how she learned. And I also did not tell her that today when Mazzy woke up extra early, she pointed out her bedroom window to the full moon still visible outside and exclaimed— "Ooooooh! Moon! What happened?"
I figure in a few weeks the real Mazzy will come out.
They'll learn that she can sing the ABCs like nobody's business.
That she's got incredible leadership skills.
That she excels at urban planning.
And that she can teach a course called "How to Find Sesame Street in 10 Seconds Or Less On the iPad".
Right now, she seems a bit scared. But I'm confident she'll adjust.
And that she'll be running the world in no time.
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Did anybody else send their kid to school for the first time? How did it go? And does this iPad profiency mean that I am the worst parent ever or can all 1 1/2 year-olds do this? I don't let her use it that much— I SWEAR!
Yes, this sounds VERY similar! Yesterday was my son Keith’s first day of preschool. It was only an hour and the mom’s stayed to meet the teacher and the kids meet each other. He’s 3, but very shy with new people. Once he knows you, he’s totally fine. I am very outgoing so this has been a new challenge for me to parent. I want to give him time to warm up, but also want him to try new things. School went well until they asked them to sit in a circle…and my child started crying and ran out the door…
I ran after him and pealed him off the carpet next to the outside door.(ew!)
I sat with him in the circle and the teacher pulled out munchkins (thank god!). He warmed up and went outside with everyone to play while we stayed inside and listened to the teacher. Tomorrow we drop him off and leave…wish me luck. It’s going to be interesting.
Good luck to you with Mazzy! I’m sure she’ll love it , eventually!
I’m relieved Monkey is not the only toddler who’s more adept at the iPad than an adult.
He hasn’t started school of any kind yet. It freaks me out to think that he will soon.
Mazzy will do great!
Everytime I see a younger child abusing their parent’s iPad, I feel better about my own parenting skills =D
ThANK YOU! *hugs*
Btw, the iPad has been uncharged for 3 days to kick her habit. Yes, it got that bad. The last time it ran out of charge, she was watching Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass. BEAT THAT!
Oh and we can’t afford preschool here in Turkey so far. So my 3.5 yr old is home. Unfortunately, we also cannot afford psychological help for ourselves. We’re living on the edge =)
WOW, I am seriously impressed with your kid!
The Ipad video made me laugh. Love the music choice..hee!
you should totally send that video to iPad… it would work well with their marketing initiative right now – how the iPad is intuitive to use… etc. I still can’t figure it out all the time, so I’m glad there are toddlers around that are smarter than me!
And our first day of school this year went well, but only after 3 MONTHS of leaving her screaming at school last year. Adjustment takes a while and if she is just being shy, you have a head start already. Go Mazzy!
So cute! We have that problem here with our electronics too! Only I’m not as willing to share like you. My stuff ends up broken.
Accept it now – the poor child is gifted 😉
The Princess didn’t have access to an iPad at this age, but she did have my iPhone, which let’s face it, is exactly the same thing but smaller. Her grandparents, who looked at the just-released iPhone like it was some kind of advanced military communication device just waiting to self-destruct at any moment, were stunned (and probably horrified) to see her dig it out of the diaper bag, turn it on, unlock it (already farther than they’d ever gotten with the thing), scroll through to locate her favorite app, open the app, and play a game. All without dropping her pacifier. So if you’re a terrible mother, well, you’re not alone.
Our children are brilliant and so are the peeps at Apple. It’s just so intuitive. I swear they should use our children in their commercials for how easy Mac products are to use.
This post is so beautiful.
Seriously, I”m reading with my eyes glistening.
I can hear the pride in your voice.
The picture of her leading the group: speaks volumes.
This one here, this post: this needs to be framed and hung up in her room, then on display on one of those huge frame tripods, on her college graduation day.
This is so beautiful.
Both my kids have had their own iPad since there were around 18 months, they are amazing with them! Neither can use a mouse on a regular computer yet, but give them a touch screen and they can rule the world! LoL we have YouTube & the Internet turned off, but they have shows, music, movies, games, even home videos all at their fingertips. The educational stuff available is great, I have no problem letting my kids use an iPad as much as they want. (And although it was my biggest fear, giving my 18 month old expensive electronics, they have never been broken) Now some people might say that I must have sluggish couch potato children, but exactly the opposite, and my 4 yr old has been reading for over a year! She has never had a day of school, and I attribute most of that to the iPad. Good luck with preschool, she will warm up and be fine!
That shock of how-you-know-your-child running smack into how-the-world-sees-her never goes away! I remember being asked if mine was always this quiet… and thinking, yeah, only when she’s unconscious! Sometimes it’s a good thing, though – “Oh, so she doesn’t talk back rudely in school, or burst into tears in frustration, or yank toys from other kids? Cool. No, no, um, she doesn’t do that at home either (snort) of course! I was just, er, curious.”
I know exactly how you feel. Mazzy will demonstrate her brilliance in no time. We are also iPad parents: I don’t know what we’d do without Peppa Pig. I just backed this Kickstarter product that lets you hang the iPad everywhere:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theilatch/the-ilatch-ipad-case-for-ipad-1-and-2?ref=email
Looks like some of your peeps (and you) might also want in…
After watching that video of Massy with the iPad, I maintain my belief that she is, in fact, a genius baby.
Give her a couple of weeks to get used to her new surroundings and she’ll come out of her shell. Vivian always regresses a little socially whenever she moves up to a new room at daycare. But within a couple of weeks she’s back to her typical precocious, somewhat domineering self.
A. I love “Ladybug’s picnic” and may have shed a tear of nostalgia while listening to that clip.
B. The day my teacher told my parents “This one’s bound for Stanford,” I began underachieving. Keep Mazzy’s brilliance under wraps. For everyone’s sake.
C. Play-doh is delicious.
The teacher came to your house?! Dang girl, I am almost glad Grant isn’t it that nice of a preschool because my house is a mess! lol. I was disappointed when I asked what the curriculum was on his first day and she said she was hoping they could count to 10 and recognize SOME abc’s by the end. He has known all of them since he was 2.5 years old. I was hoping for something more, but I have only heard rave reviews of this school, so we will see…..
I love her hair do with the barrette. So sweet. I also thought she was already two, which means I don’t pay enough attention to you. We put Anna in school at the same age and never thought twice about it, despite a weepy week or two. There’s a lot in that environment that hanging around all day with your parents can’t give. Your girl is going to be great.
School no, daycare yes. Well school yes, when in SK (older one). Both kids have adjusted to each new place ( daycare and school) remarkably well! I feel very lucky, when the teacher asked what I wanted for my eight year olds school year this year, it was for her to continue to love going and end the day happy. Academics will sort themselves out in time, but you can’t “teach” happy. Mazzy will do great, it is probably just overwhelming as so new. You are handling it beautifully and very soon she will rock both academics and social 🙂 Also yes, my toddler uses her potty seat not as a potty ( thats just silly) but as a stool to grab my ipad or her sisters ipod. For either Dora or Angry Birds! LOL!
ROFL!
my two-year-old started school this week too. on his first day he decided to be the only kid not to get in the circle for circle time, and to stay in the play kitchen – which would have been fine with everyone exept he kept loudly shouting what he was cooking the whole time, and kept offering fake food to the circle time compliant.
sigh.
btw, mazzy’s school dress is gorgeous – she is so winning best dressed.
I sent my 3.5 year old twins to MDO for the first time. They’re doing great! They love it so much and talk about going to school constantly. I just wish I could get more out of them other than “Rachel fell down and got a boo boo on her tongue and got dirty in her mouth but Miss Jennifer cleaned it up.” Not very reliable resources.
Your daughter’s first day of school sounds much better than my son’s first day of kindergarten. Well, wait, I mean first week of kindergarten. It was a very bad week.
Both of my kids are iPad and iPhone proficient. I feel it’s a skill that will help them excel in the future and it also keeps them entertained when I need a break. Winning combo.
Oh just give her a few weeks and she’ll be teaching the class! 🙂
We had the same transitional day and then this morning I dropped her off and left her. All the kids were crying and charging the door but Mazzy seemed fine.
But who knows what happened after I was gone. I guess that’s the point.
I’m relieved too. Monkey and Mazzy can be one of those old couples who sit on their couch watching TV and on their respective electronic devices. They’ll be so happy together!
That’s what I’m here for. So everybody can feel better about their own parenting.
We have really had to regulate the iPad hardcore. And we hide it. If she sees it, she wants it and will go beserk pretty quickly if we don’t give it to her.
Did you say you were from Turkey?? AWESOME.
I dropped her off today and all the kids were screaming and charging the door but Mazzy just looked at the wall of toys, smiled and gave me a kiss goodbye. Easy peasy.
My husband said I should send it to iPad too.
My iPhone is off limits since she killed my last one with drool. You can find that story here:
https://www.mommyshorts.com/2011/04/baby-kills-iphone-mom-survives.html
But the iPad is much harder to suck on.
She is, isn’t she? I’m in trouble.
It really is amazing how they figure this stuff out. It’s like the best cause and effect toy ever. I wonder if Mazzy would go for the apps when she knows exactly how to get to Elmo. I have to download some and see.
That is my new plan!
So funny. I was scared it sounded like I was bragging. I guess nobody can fault you for waxing on about your own kid.
Good to know! Also— I never thought about turning off the internet. Every once in awhile she’ll be playing around on youtube clicking from Elmo to Cookie Monster to Thomas the Train and stumble into Bart Simpson shooting Barney with a shot gun.
I should get on that!
At the home visit, the teacher asked me if she always sits still for so long on one task. And I was like— I WISH! I had never seen her so content in a sitting position in her life.
That is very cool. We’ll be all over it as soon as we turn Mazzy around in the car.
I almost wish I could see the teachers’ reaction as they begin to realize what my little munchkin is capable of. Girl is going to be leading storytime within weeks!
“Ladybug’s Picnic” was actually the song playing on the second clip she’s watching in the video. I loved the sound so much, I downloaded the song and used it for the whole thing.
And my sister (Dr. B) always tells me to be very careful with what I say about Mazzy’s intelligence. If you constantly tell them they are smart, they might expect to do everything easily and not like the feeling of really “trying”.
I’m actually going to have Dr.B do a post on what we should all expect from preschool. I was in the same boat as you— wondering if Mazzy was going to be challenged enough. But apparently it is less about intelligence and more about social skills and independence.
Since I already leave her with a nanny every day to go to work, I think the impact of school is a little less for me. And I agree, she will get a lot out of it. In general, she thrives in social situations. I think she just doesn’t know what’s happening yet.
Your toddler plays angry birds? That is impressive! Glad your kids are so well-adjusted. I think Mazzy will get there soon enough. She’s also just a really happy kid.
I told Dr. B about Mazzy painting the whole time and not participating. She said it shows independence and is not surprising for the first day when your kid is presented with a bunch of new toys and tasks.
She also said that it sends a sign to the teacher that that they have to worry less about that kid adjusting because they can entertain themselves.
Well, that’s probably what happened right? And it sounds exciting! I would be telling the story too.
Oh, I’m sorry. I hope it gets better soon!
Your teacher does home visits???? New York is soooo different from LA, here we’re lucky if the teacher shows up. Okay so they show up, but you know what I mean. I love that she sees the moon and asks what happened. Did you tell her you woke up too early is what happened?
No. My toddler TRIES to play Angry Birds, but plays it wrong. Flings the birds the wrong way. Which is both incredibly cute and incredibly annoying! And yes, thank you, I don’t have an option but to use daycare so am very pleased they are so well-adjusted. We have had our “moments” but for the most part I am very lucky. Which is how I wanted it – I could never believe when moms would ask me if I wanted them to cry when I left (to feel good that they missed me)! Why would I want my babies upset? That kills me! I was thrilled they were happy to leave me – so long as they were equally happy at pick-up time! And so far so good 🙂
The only dangerous part is that soon she’ll be asking you to buy her her own Ipad like my 10-year old is (so I’ve enlisted her to do chores to earn it–it’s a win win–I’m getting household help, and by time she’s in college she’ll have her ipad!)