Turns out this girl is SO HAPPY to spend her Tuesday mornings with her Daddy while Mila and I attend Mommy and Me Preschool! So we're rolling with it!
We're still trying to get the hang of parenting "artificial twins".... Sofia and Mila couldn't be more opposite from one another...so although I try very hard to make sure they're getting the same exact opportunities, sometimes they need two completely different things (often times!). As much as I joke that Sofia was ready for preschool the day she was born, emotionally she's in need of a bit more "quiet" time with her family with no pressure or expectations. She's in a sweet spot right now, and just REALLY starting to trust us completely, so we're going with our gut on this one and deciding that for now she just may not be ready, and there will be more opportunities for her to participate in this class...when she's ready! And really, I think if she could tell us, she'd thank us for our decision! The girls dance on Tuesdays too so it was just a bit too much for Sofia girl! She was recently formally diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, which is absolutely no surprise to us...and we're trying to find the perfect balance of "enough but not too much" sensory input and it's tricky I tell ya! But we're in this together...figuring it out, the "trial-and-error" way and revising as we go! At the end of the day, as long as they are HAPPY and growing and thriving, we've done our job!
And for Mila...well she's still figuring out this Mommy and Me Preschool thing, but she really gets excited for "cool" with Mama and has even asked about it a few times on non-school days!! She doesn't dig the whole "arts and crafts" thing, but loves the time in the gym, and of course snack time! I can't believe she will be 3 in just TWO WEEKS. It seems impossible to me! She seems like such a big girl to me all of a sudden....a big Mila update coming soon!
I must agree probably the best thing for Sofia if she is struggling with it, SPD makes the stranger anxiety so much worse in SPD kiddos! Sensory Processing Disorder is 1 of the things that we have been dealing with with 3 of my kiddos, 1 of them pretty severely. It is rough and what works one day does not work the next. Strangers were a very big issue for him and still can be. Our mommy and me preschool through ECSE he would hide behind everyones coats so no one would see him the whole entire year. When someone would come and sit by him he would just politely go somewhere else :) I have a SPD series I wrote if you get a chance check it out, http://mamaofmanyblessings.com/category/sensory-processing-disorder
ReplyDeleteor feel free to email me. After almost 6 years of working on SPD issues and researching like crazy to educate myself, I have quite a bit experience with it.
Hi Nicole! Thanks for your comment!!! I am so interested im the connection between stranger anxiety and SPD...I've never heard this before, but Sofia struggles SO SO SO much with stranger anxiety/social anxiety. People can't even LOOK at her or initiate any kind of interaction or she starts bawling. She has always been "shy" in public places, which is crazy because she is typically the complete opposite at home. She eventually comes around if other people just ignore her and she is able to observe for a LONG TIME. Do you have any good links about the connection between SPD and stranger anxiety? I'm going to check out your blog now, thanks!!
DeleteYou are welcome!! Our Ethan is the same way crazy, loud, and busy(trouble) at home but if anyone is around or we are somewhere else he is a different child!
DeleteI tried many things with him to help with the stranger anxiety and I found not to many things that worked much but letting him get older. We do use visual schedules and social stories we go over them many times before we go anywhere. For vacation we start about a month in advance going over where we are going and who we might see, trips to the store or things like that we start just a couple days in advance.
For 5 years we had to strictly limit where we would being him because it was to stressful on him and it wouldn't just stress him out, but sometimes days after he would have really bad days. We are finding that working with an OT and having him work and interact with other kids is a help, noise canceling headphones help with the noise of places, and fidget toys help. Sometimes we would just go the store and let him sit in the cart with a blanket over top of him, we got a lot of stares, but he would do better not seeing everyone. Pushing a kids shopping cart and helping pushing a "heavy load" would be helpful sometimes but only as long as no one talked to him...
Obviously you are learning to follow her cues and not making her do things that are just to hard for her, and that is probably the best advise. Follow our mommy instincts!! God has given me more grace in parenting him then I ever though imaginable!!
Always impressed with how you meet your sweet girls "where they are at" and make plans accordingly when possible. Love that "preschool dropout" photo of beautiful Sofia lol!
ReplyDeleteWhatever works!!! And kudos to you and Shawn for being so sensitive to your girls' needs. There is plenty of time down the road for Sofia's preschool experience. I'm glad that Mila is enjoying her special time with Mama while Sofia is happy to be with Dada! Everybody wins!! (((BIG HUGS)))!!
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