What I learned at daycare

GUEST POST by ELISA ALBY, owner of LA MAMMA FILES

Amelia has been in daycare now for six months.
If you had asked me years ago --before I was remotely close to having kids, but knew that I would eventually be a mamma-- I would have told you that I would be staying home with my kids for the first three years of each of their lives.
Well, life didn't quite cooperate on that front, so instead, daycare. For her part, Amelia is thriving. She is a very social creature, loves the attention of her peers and enjoys the endless exploration. Daycare provides stimuli, structure and social development. She learns from activities, from her caregivers and from her friends.

What I hadn't expected was just how much I would learn from daycare. If it wasn't for the daycare I never would have noticed some of her capabilities. I may not have introduced eating utensils so soon. It would have never occurred to me that a 13 month old would like to colour, and actually spend more than five minutes at it.

Granted her spoon and fork are often, too often, hurled across the kitchen. She has bitten off the tips of approximately 4 out of her 16 markers and I'm pretty sure she's going for the whole set. But see, I learned that this is normal toddler behavior, probably the most important lesson so far. And the incidents of biting and scratching? Par for the course.

I've also learned and observed ways to deal with some of these tough, but normal behaviours. I take some cues from the caregivers who have very gentle but firm ways of handling the kids, often turning a negative behaviour into something positive. When Amelia used to try to bite me, I would say, "are you trying to give me a kiss?" Thus giving her the benefit of the doubt, since maliciousness is not natural to a baby.

Their strict standards also help reinforce good habits like keeping hats and mittens on when it's cold outside. Staying seated while eating. Keeping her "feet on the floor, please" to deter from climbing onto chairs and tables, and holding hands when out on a walk. Though our recent struggle to get her buy-in on the hand-holding proves that either daycare workers have more clout or she has us pegged as pushovers.

In any case, I am grateful for so much about our daycare, not least all the things it has taught me about parenting.
As we approach potty training and weaning off the pacifier, please know daycare, I am fully counting on you!