What happens at daycare, stays at daycare

With credit to Shawn for the Title.

Anyone with kids probably knows what kind of response the question, "what did you do in school today?" gets. Well, with a 2 year old there isn't much of an answer at all ... a ten year old will bestow a grand "stuff" on you and walk away. :-) So, of course I ask even more detailed questions about projects and events that I know DID happen and that usually just gets me a strange look unless said project is now sitting in front of us.

One look from Nessa was so strange it inspired the title of this post. :-)

But Nessa does do many wonderful projects at Daycare (by the way we LOVE our Daycare Director/lead teacher and feel blessed to have her in Nessa's life) and thanks to the notes that are sent home we get to hear about some of the small "what did she just say/do" moments there as well. Here are just a few from recent sheets.

• 
  Built with blocks that she could crash over -- she was looking for something to crash, so I suggested the blocks.
• Helped Jen fold washcloths. Nessa is getting very good at it. They look less "interesting" every time she helps. (Hmmm, here at home I think the things she folds still look very interesting.
• Worked on colors and counting using different colored dinosaurs. Nessa did an awesome job! She loves to show off her skills. :-) Also knew what day it was going to be on the calendar.
• Said "may I be excused?" at lunchtime -- good manners! (*this has actually been a problem area so it was especially nice to see this note ... that morning I had reminded her of the table "rules" such as "food stays on the plate" pause "well unless you're nicely putting it in your mouth" or some such jumbled mess of trying to explain table manners in simplistic toddler terms.
• Read lots of books. Nessa is very good at "I Spy" books.
  Had lots of fun playing with the trains and train tracks today. Nessa loves to drive the train and "let people get on and people get off." (It's a line from a Thomas book.)
  Nessa loves to build really tall lego towers. She said "Look at my beautiful tall tower. It's nice."
• Made an antenna headband for art. Nessa loved watching herself in the mirror with it on. she laughed and giggled and shook her head, "Jen, I'm cute." Yep she was.
• Nessa loves to get all the kitchen stuff out and fee us and the dolls. She loves to take the dolls for walks, put them in the swing, and the highchair. Very imaginative play!
  Played with the doctor set again today. Nessa enjoyed hammering the baby (!) and checking its temperature and blood pressure. She was Dr. Nessa Brooks again today. (Once Jen asked her if she was Dr. Brooks or Dr. Nessa and she said "I'm Dr. Nessa Brooks" and since then she has occasionally been Dr. Nessa or Dr. Brooks but she usually uses her entire name and will now tell you what name she is using when she plays Dr. without being asked.)
  
• Built a house with legos. Then Nessa parked the cars in it.
• Nessa was playing house and packed the backpack and purse full of food and then "went bye bye."
• Lots of singing today. We've been teaching all of the songs Nessa knows. She loves to dance and sing!
• Played construction worker and "built" the train table.
• Loved the new sandbox toys!
• Loved the water table.
• Went to Hintgen to play on the playground. Nessa got to ride in the wagon!
• Walked around the neighborhood and talked about all of the trees and flowers. Walked past Nessa's house and she said "that's Nessa's house."
  

Now just because we love Nessa's daycare and Nessa loves Nessa's daycare doesn't mean that Nessa's mom doesn't have pangs of guilt or outright guilt attacks on a regular basis. Now that we no longer live in a true village (you know the extended family and friends that are like family and jobs where kids are welcome and 9 to 5 hadn't been invented) there is no perfect solution.

And then there's Megan who complains about not getting to go to daycare enough (her friends are there, she adores Jen too, and she loves the babies/toddlers too) AND tells me that Nessa should never miss out on the activities at daycare just because I'm not working that day (there is no response that works there with a 10 year old, believe me). So, while we do refer to it as daycare (and write those big ole checks so they can stay in business), it is so much more to us than that...