Paci-Posse II: The Land of Binky and Nod
So for weeks we've been trying to figure out why D only naps for, say, an hour at preschool but will nap well on 3 hours at home. Yesterday at his Parent-Teacher Conference, we think we might have gotten a clue.
To start with, you have to understand that yes, the child still has a pacifier and no, it ain't going nowhere. I'm unapologetic about this--the way I see it, I sucked my fingers until I was 8, so if he's weaned off of it before then, we're good. He only technically gets it in the car and at naps and night, and I figure if someone wants to call CPS on me, it'll be for something far more egregious, like the fact that I steal his Hallowe'en candy and let him run into other people's houses and try their shoes on.
His preschool teachers have told me they hate the pacifer (in general--they don't have a special vendetta against his particular binky) and are actively engaged in an anti-paci campaign. I don't mind this because D seems fine with it, too--he hands over the paci when Daddymatic drops him off without so much as a whimper. Of course, the afternoons are a different story: DM says pre-school pickup is akin to meeting a smoker friend after a day of working in a non-smoking office: he picks D up, and D starts all but searching his pockets, demanding "BAH-JEE-BYE?? BAH-JEE-BYE??" in this slightly panicky voice, as if to say "where's my stuff, dude? where's my stuff?"
Now, we had assumed D was being given his paci during his preschool naptime--he gets Lambie, or She Without Which There Is No Sleeping, and we just assumed that the paci-ban didn't extend into naptime because, for Pete's sake, people who work with small children MUST follow the "anything for sleep" rule, the long version of which is "Whatever Can Be Done Within Reason To Extend Toddler Sleep Must Be Done." Evidently, this is not so. And yet the teachers know he gets the paci at night, and still they were confused as to why, oh why he doesn't sleep better at school.
Now, I don't have a degree in young child development, but uhhhhh, seems to me it's worth a try to re-instate the bink and see what's what, yes?
Of course, we'll have to wait until next week to see if it makes any difference, because little D is home with my mother* today, who, saints be praised, has returned for her annual Bring The Light Back Into Our Lives campaign. I have even enlisted my boss into trying to persuade her and my dad into moving out here and, as I've mentioned, am considering offering to get her a pony of her very own to sweeten the deal if need be. My boss set her up with a realtor for Monday, which I feel is a huge step, so if you can think of anything else that might induce these people to come out to the Land of Trunk or Treat, lemme know, wouldja? (actually, the mere existence of Trunk or Treat might be enough for my dad, but...)
*I just realized my Ode to Bee-bee post was written one year ago tomorrow. Spooky.
To start with, you have to understand that yes, the child still has a pacifier and no, it ain't going nowhere. I'm unapologetic about this--the way I see it, I sucked my fingers until I was 8, so if he's weaned off of it before then, we're good. He only technically gets it in the car and at naps and night, and I figure if someone wants to call CPS on me, it'll be for something far more egregious, like the fact that I steal his Hallowe'en candy and let him run into other people's houses and try their shoes on.
His preschool teachers have told me they hate the pacifer (in general--they don't have a special vendetta against his particular binky) and are actively engaged in an anti-paci campaign. I don't mind this because D seems fine with it, too--he hands over the paci when Daddymatic drops him off without so much as a whimper. Of course, the afternoons are a different story: DM says pre-school pickup is akin to meeting a smoker friend after a day of working in a non-smoking office: he picks D up, and D starts all but searching his pockets, demanding "BAH-JEE-BYE?? BAH-JEE-BYE??" in this slightly panicky voice, as if to say "where's my stuff, dude? where's my stuff?"
Now, we had assumed D was being given his paci during his preschool naptime--he gets Lambie, or She Without Which There Is No Sleeping, and we just assumed that the paci-ban didn't extend into naptime because, for Pete's sake, people who work with small children MUST follow the "anything for sleep" rule, the long version of which is "Whatever Can Be Done Within Reason To Extend Toddler Sleep Must Be Done." Evidently, this is not so. And yet the teachers know he gets the paci at night, and still they were confused as to why, oh why he doesn't sleep better at school.
Now, I don't have a degree in young child development, but uhhhhh, seems to me it's worth a try to re-instate the bink and see what's what, yes?
Of course, we'll have to wait until next week to see if it makes any difference, because little D is home with my mother* today, who, saints be praised, has returned for her annual Bring The Light Back Into Our Lives campaign. I have even enlisted my boss into trying to persuade her and my dad into moving out here and, as I've mentioned, am considering offering to get her a pony of her very own to sweeten the deal if need be. My boss set her up with a realtor for Monday, which I feel is a huge step, so if you can think of anything else that might induce these people to come out to the Land of Trunk or Treat, lemme know, wouldja? (actually, the mere existence of Trunk or Treat might be enough for my dad, but...)
*I just realized my Ode to Bee-bee post was written one year ago tomorrow. Spooky.
posted by the stefanie formerly known as stefanierj at 8:52 AM
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