Independence Day

For several months now, Sylvie and I had been attending a local infant/parent playgroup coordinated with her Early Intervention therapy. Once a week, we'd ride the bus to meet with other parents and their babies and a "teacher" for an hour and a half. We'd sing songs and play little games during "circle time" and then the children would have lots of free time with toys, instruments, books and play equipment. A child attended this group up until 18months and the progressed to the toddler group which they attend sans parent. So today we put our darling girl on the bus to her toddler playgroup...ALONE. We were both excited and quite scared the whole time she was gone; afraid she'd act up/get hurt/get kidnapped...you know, the usual concerns of parents learning to let go.

All went well apparently as we never received a call demanding we remove her from the premises with strong urges to seek an exorcist immediately and when the bus driver dropped her off, she claimed that Sylvie had chatted happily both there and back. Parents? She don't need no steenkin' parents to go with her to playgroup!

I did attend her very first toddler group last week so as to be familiar with what Sylvie would be doing while there. It was very similar to the infant group but with more structure and more 'mature' (in a toddler sense of course) activities, like coloring. There is even a computer in the room with toddler appropriate games...which probably means that soon we'll have THREE people jockeying to use the computer at home. They do free play, then circle time, followed by gross motor skills play (in the same room where we had our infant group) and finally a snack of juice and kix/goldfish/ritz crackers. There are three teacher/therapists in the group of 8 children and at the end of the day a list of the days activities is sent home with each child so us parents can get an idea of what they did that day. And once she's done some, we'll also be getting Sylvie's art pieces! Pretty neat, huh?