Preschooler Parents, We Now Are.

So it's been 2 weeks since our little girl started going to school. We've technically wrapped up the 3rd week today and somehow, we've already gotten into the rhythm of things. Our body clocks (the entire household including ate inday) are now adjusted. Little girl wakes up just as her dad starts his office preps routine. We say our morning prayers and we get up to do homework and review for the days lessons while Ate Inday prepares breakfast which is already pre-planned the night before so we don't cram in the mornings. We always try to come up with something carb-heavy so that the little girl has plenty of packed energy for the long day ahead. Homework-wise, Ate Inday usually goes through her notes for day right after she gets home from school and relays them to me through the phone so if she needs to bring something to school the next day and we don't have it at home, I still have time to drop by the store and get it on my way home.

The first week was mostly about getting the kids familiarized with the new surroundings. So my problems mostly evolved around what to pack for her lunch since her class schedule falls right smack on the middle of lunchtime. On the second week, they started doing actual class activities and teachers started giving them homework as well. Since I had a co-worker who's kids also went to ESS, I had already been forewarned: EXPECT HOMEWORK EVERY DAY. So every day when I call, ate inday would check Maia's diary for homework and other notes from her class adviser. Some days, ate inday would miss it but yes for the last two weeks there was never a day when we don't have to do homework. What's good though is that it's training the little girl to set aside about 10 minutes in the morning with me to do some school stuff. The homework itself is an easy-peasy task for the little girl but what we're actually trying to train her to do is to pay attention. And the trying part is really TRYING in its truest essence. But I'm just glad we're getting things done. It's a good thing that we've parted with most of her toddler toys so there's not a lot of distractions in the house. And we've already made a rule of no-TV time (and we've been successful for the past 3 weeks, hurray for us!) during school day so the tiny space that we had set up for the little girl's study area in our cramped, little home is not as big of an issue as I'd expected it to be. 

So we've somehow adjusted. But we know deep in our heart that the real adjustment is just beginning and with that new fears as parents now just starting to creep in. 

• What if somebody bullies her in school? Or what if she bullies someone in school? 
• How is her appetite in school? Is her immune system now strong enough to protect her from communicable diseases now that she's more exposed to them?
• Can she withstand the commute to and fro our house to the school in the long run? 

Wishing for a smooth first year! 

The list could go on. I get very anxious at times especially when I'm about to sleep and I start thinking of how she might be in school. My anxiety would sometimes rub off on the husband as well and we'd eventually see ourselves up till midnight contemplating on whether we chose the right place for our daughter's schooling. I guess somehow, we're still hung up on Waldorf and in the back of our mind, we still dream of sending Maia there. Some days when fond memories of summer at St Michael would revisit her, she'd announce - "you see Mommy, I have 2 schools. Today I go to Seton, pero pumapasok din ako sa St Michael." I'm just thankful she's still enjoying every minute that she's in ESS. Although there have already been several mornings where she would tell us she doesn't like to go to school. But our morning routine of reviewing their topic for the day and accomplishing assignments always manages to shoo the blues away. By the time we finish the assignment and the topic review she'd be all excited ("Gusto ko na dumating si Ate A - referring to the school service assistant - excited na ako pumasok sa school, Mommy!").

The worries just never go away, don't they? (how many times have I posed this question in this blog alone?) They just seem to come in phases. But the fact remains, there's no stopping them from growing up. I guess there's really no way we can ever dodge this or skip this entire stage of worry. So the best way we can deal with this is probably just to embrace the fact that - we are now parents of a preschooler. Good luck to us!

At the end of the day, surprises like this just makes our heart swell

Nanny Heartbreak

Nanny problems are not new to me. I have actually gone through a lot since I got pregnant but I do not know why each time I come across another nanny problem, I always get all emotional and stressed out. 

As full-time working-out-of-the home parents, we are very dependent on the caregiver-nanny-yaya-whatever-you-may-call-it that we get for our daughter. When we screen we try to make sure that their personality suits that of our daughter. We try to make sure as well that regardless of their age they can easily follow our instructions and that they understand that WE are the parents and that we always make the call when it comes to our daughter. But apart from that, what we try to make sure when we interview is that they are the type who could stay long with an employer. And usually, at the onset, they do appear passionate with taking care of the kid. They listen to and follow instructions well. They're easy to deal with. 

Fast forward however to (let's see, I've almost lost count) the 6th nanny and we're still searching for the ONE. The last nanny that left us had an impressive record of a 7-year stay with previous employer with whom she was never granted vacation days. With us she was entitled to a 2-week vacation with pay, bonuses and Philhealth but when she went home to Antique for a supposedly one-week vacation (she was with us for 6 months) she decided not to come back citing domestic problems as a reason. This last one really broke my heart. I always thought that goodness only leads to goodness. Love begets love. And I tried to show her nothing but goodness. Maia loved her dearly despite several quirks that I personally would have had difficulty living with (if not for Maia). I wonder now if I shouldn't have been extra nice with her and instead followed the previous employer's strategy, would she still be with us?

You know how it's like when a boyfriend who you think was already the ONE suddenly breaks up with you? That's how I feel like at this moment. Tibs is having difficulty understanding that but he will have to live with this for a while.

How do I exactly find the perfect nanny? Does she exist? And what should one do to keep them from leaving? Apart from the compensation, the benefits/perks, the household treatment, what else? My daughter is almost the perfect  ward. She's at this age where she loves to point out to people that she's already grown up and that she can take care of herself. She's very independent. She knows how to entertain herself, feed herself, even make her own milk. She's careful with fragile things.  She cleans up her mess (i mean literally, by the way). She's not a handful to take care of because she rarely throws tantrums around people she considers 'friends'. She likes to throw tantrums though when she's sure mom and dad is around. But never with 'other' people. So I ask, why would they ever think of leaving her?

I'm really heartbroken right now. But I know this will come to pass. For the meantime, I will have to fake a smile and try my hardest to be cheery because the little girl is already looking forward to spending a wonderful weekend with her mom and dad. Sigh.