Wheels on the bus

On Boxing day I woke up to the bus song, coming through loud and clear through the baby monitor. It was well after 8 - our schedule, if it can be called that, gets later and later if we let it, with bedtime back at 8:30 and Nina still not asleep by 9, the past few days. Anyway, after the wheels, and the wipers, and the children making TOO MUCH NOISE, and the bumping up and down, there was a new verse: "The Ninas on the bus say 'I love Mummy', 'I love Mummy, 'I love Mummy'  .... ALL day LONG". That really just made my week. 

      But in other ways, let's just say ...  Breaking NEWS!  Busy working parents find 2-year-old is having tantrums, situation frustrating!

      Bedtime drama continues. We decided that while Nina's clearly able to understand the sticker system, she needs an immediate consequence if things aren't going well, because it wasn't working although it's still a powerful motivator. So we've started leaving if she won't lie down for stories, and also picking a time on the clock and explaining that stories are over at that time, so if the pajamas aren't on blah blah blah then there won't be time for stories. So far, three nights, so good .. but like everything I get optimistic about, maybe it'll only last a week or two. Meanwhile we're now getting power struggles at dinner, with less at bedtime. I guess toddlers have an inherent need to test their parents' limits and rules.  

     I picked Nina up from nursery on their last day before the holidays. They asked me if I wanted her to move into preschool. Preschool? I thought. She's 2. Ok, 2 1/2. I don't think she should, although it would save us 44£ a week. It's a more structured environment, in which they learn abc's and counting and whatnot. It normally starts at or around age 3. They said that Nina is very smart and is ready, in terms of the learning side of things, but they agreed with me that being in a less structured, more playing, environment, is good for now. Many of her friends are not going yet, but a few are - the ones that are slightly older. This nursery has a great-looking preschool area, which was one thing we liked about it, all naturally lit with skylights and full of interesting activities. 
     Having spent year upon year upon year being bored in school, I don't want my child starting ahead at age 2, risking her being bored already by age 3. She likes counting (though she doesn't always get the idea that you count each thing once and only once). She's showing some interest in letters and reading but I don't want to push that. She's learned to sing simple songs, and it's cute. She remembers music, today I put on her baby Bach cd after months of not having it out, and she said "that one has a baby on the front", remembering the match between the case and the music. So naturally I'm proud as anything of all that, but ... but ... emotionally, tantrum-wise, sleep-needing-wise, playing-wise, she's a full-blown 2 years old. And she should enjoy it; we all should, while it lasts.