Day 18 SoL Story Challenge: Little L.'s Thank You Note to a Friend

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It was the end of a very long, tiresome day. Baby J. was about four weeks old. I climbed the steps to Little L.'s preschool classroom one by one, each step taking much more effort than usual. I couldn't figure out any good way to hold Baby J.'s car seat that didn't hurt my arms, wrists, and hands. I had to stop at the landing to catch my breath. Finally I reached the top of the steps and opened the door to the classroom.

Little L. was wrapped around me in a flash. "Mommmmmy!" Her face was shining, so happy to see me.

My heart felt warm, but there was also a pinch of guilt. This was the first time that I had picked her up from school since the baby was born. I used to pick her up every day.

L. latched herself on to me as I put my initials on the sign-out sheet and started gathering her things from her cubby. That's when I noticed a little blue gift bag.  I knew that it would be for Baby J. so I tried to hide it among the backpack, lunch bag, and projects going home.

"What was that?" L. demanded to know.

"Let's put on your boots!" I said with enthusiasm. I wanted to avoid a scene over the gift.

"Is that for the baby?" she said.

I pretended not to hear her. "Boots time!"

"Mommy, I know that that is for the baby." Little L. was using her "teacher voice," to let me know that I wasn't fooling anybody by hiding that gift.

The guilt pinch got stronger. She proceeded to put on her boots, then her coat.

Gifts had been pouring in for the baby over the past few weeks and I worried that L. was feeling a little sensitive about it. We had done the best we could not to make a big deal about presents for the baby, opening them on our own most of the time. Sometimes a thoughtful friend or family member would include something for L. and we'd let her open hers first.

But then, amazingly, miraculously, she said cheerfully, "Let's see what is it! Is it another hat?" (L. loves J.'s hats for some reason).  "Can I open it for him?"

I was shocked. Little L. didn't seem to care that J. was getting a present. She genuinely seemed interested in what he was going to get.

The present was adorable (Thank you A. & M.!) and L. couldn't wait to see Baby J. try it on.

The next morning, Little L. decided to write a thank you note to her friend:

Moral of the story: Maybe I've been underestimating Little L.!

PS In another post, at another time, I really want to point out all the great emergent writing behaviors going on  in this video clip, but I'll save it. It's hard to turn off my teacher brain!

Scribbling: Circular Stage

Little L. said: "Circles!"

Little L. said: "This is rain. This is Pooh Bear. This Mommy. Daddy... Mimi... Grandpa..."

Yes, there are stages to scribbling! Little L. is in the late Circular stage, early Naming stage!

Click here if you want to find out the stage of your own tiny artist or writer.

Try these handy tips:

1. Compliment your child's work by naming what you see, reinforcing her newfound skills as well as vocabulary. If you can name it, she can learn what it is called. Try saying things like,"I see straight/curvy/zig zag lines!" or "I see circles/dots/curves!" or "I see lots of blue on your page, and even a little bit of yellow!" After a short amount of time, you'll hear her naming her own work!

2. Keep materials easily accessible. If you have to dig out the paper and crayons from the bottom of a closet or a drawer, you and your child will be less likely to spend 5-10 minutes drawing. Try an easel or large notebook set up with not-too-messy materials. Tape the paper down so she's less likely to rip it apart. A few washable crayons are pretty easy to manage and pose little danger to your furniture and walls--they really are washable--trust me! (Hint: The fatter the marker or crayon, the harder it can be for your child to use a three-finger grip. Really fat crayons and markers force your child to fist it rather than pinch it. Try having a variety of art materials, both fat and skinny, for fine motor skills, and also just for fun!)

3. Make time every day. While I'm making my coffee in the morning is one of Little L.'s favorite easel times. She hunkers down with markers and crayons for just the right amount of time for me to pour it, add milk and sugar, down half of it while I still have a chance!