Dr {Susan's} Birthday

I haven’t really written much on the blog about Perry and the horror that is him going to school each morning.  To be fair, it has gotten much MUCH better than the beginning of preschool, but its still a to-do almost every morning. 

So last Thursday when I picked him up and his teacher told me next week (this past week) they were going to celebrate Dr. Suess’ birthday with a week full of super fun, out of the normal activities, I was surprised that P was already dead set that he was NOT attending school next week. 

He got upset and cried a bit off and on the entire weekend and all I could get out of him was that he didn’t want to go to school this week.  Which was extremely frustrating and felt like a huge set back from the immense progress we had been making.  After all, he’s been doing SO well lately… relatively speaking and all. 

So Sunday night after a complete melt down, I managed to calm him down with the deal that we go get ready for bed (also a doozie for us), I’d sleep in his top bunk with him all night (I don’t know why this part of the deal was so enticing to him seeing as how that’s where we, yes we, sleep almost every single night these days), and we would just talk about why he was so nervous.

At first the conversation went like this:

M:  Ok sweet Monkey, tell me why you don’t wanna go to school this week.

P:  Cause it’s a special week.

M:  But that’s gonna be SUPER fun!  You get to bring your favorite toy, wear pajamas, bring 100 of your favorite snack, yadda, yadda, yadda…..

P:  But I just don’t wanna go.  I don’t like school.

M:  Yes you do baby.  Look at Mommy.  Tell me exactly. what. you. are. afraid. of.  Tell Mommy the ONE thing you are scared about.  What’s bothering you?  Just the ONE THING that’s upsetting you.  (I got realllllllly quiet, slow, and serious, frankly because I KNEW there was something I was missing.)

And this is when the tears started falling.

P:  Because it’s a SPECIAL week Mommy!

M:  Yes, baby, I know.

P:  And we’re gonna celebrate a birthday.

M:  Forgetting the reason for the special week being Dr. Seuss celebration, I respond:  Oh fun!  Who’s birthday is it?  It’s gonna be your birthday in May.  Maybe your class will sing happy birthday to you soon too!

P:  Crickets…………..THE DOCTOR’s!!!  The doctor that’s coming to school next week!  It’s HER birthday!!!  {TEARS!!!!}

M:  Oh yes!  Dr. Seuss’ birthday!  But that will be so much fun!

P:  IS THE DOCTOR SUSAN GONNA GIVE ME A SHOT?!?!?!?!

BAM. 

And that’s when I got it.  Little Monkey had been terrified the entire weekend that

Dr. Susan was coming to his classroom and would give him a shot.             

And that’s the moment I got to be a Mommy and love on my baby and tell him all about Dr. Suess, who wrote lots of the silly books that we love so much.  And to further calm his fears, we got to talk a little about heaven (ALSO a doozie for us… how many of those do we have?!) since Dr. Suess passed away a while back. 

And the next morning?

With a little reassurance that NO doctors were visiting Preschool, he was good to go.  And when I went to pick up my little Pman, I instead picked up the cutest little Cat-in-the-Hat I’d ever seen.  

{thankful for}

honest conversations, no matter how big or small, that build trust

midnight snuggles in the top bunk

a teacher who makes Dr Susan's birthday a blast to celebrate