Kindermusik

Being the mom of a toddler boy means different things on different days to me.  Generally there are little moments in every day that bring me joy or make me laugh in ways that not much else could.  Of course, some days the repeated corrections, redirections, tantrums, and whining overshadow the little moments of sunshine. Plenty of other days are "mostly sunny."  Such is life in the land of Nages.  Lately, though, Wednesday mornings have been a surprising source of joy for this mama.  For the last four weeks, LO and I have attended Kindermusik classes.

This is actually our second series of such classes.  The first was for a wider age range of kiddos and lasted about 6 weeks last summer (when LO was  about 21 mos old).  I was too late to get us registered last fall, and was really unsure about signing us up for the 13 week class this spring.  (Class lasts a full 3 weeks after we're expecting Newbie)  Last summer's class seemed a little overwhelming for our guy.  It demanded more gross motor movements than he had in his repertoire (jumping, running, etc), and he was fearful about separating from me (even though we take the classes together...he didn't want to leave my lap or thought I'd leave when we stood to dance or move about).   He didn't participate much during class, but he was less fearful as the weeks progressed, and he began to request the songs and repeat the movements at home.  Weeks after class was over, the music CD was his favorite and he continued to talk about the songs.  It was clear that he was soaking it all in during class and really enjoyed it even though that was hard to tell from the outside.

I had more confidence then as we started our second class this past month.  While I wondered if I would have the stamina to participate in class up to the end of my pregnancy (there is a lot of bouncing, jumping, going from sitting to standing on the floor, etc), I knew LO would love it again.  Once again we had a rocky start.  The first two weeks he was anxious that I'd leave and seemed overwhelmed by the other ten or so very active kiddos (who all seemed to know each other from previous classes).  He sat in a daze during class as I moved his hands or body to the music.  As soon as we got to the car, though, his face lit up and he started ninety to nothing about the other boys in class, the music, the instruments, you name it.  I thought this session might go much like the last, that somewhere near the end he'd loosen up a little and possibly participate some, but that most of his joy from this class would be apparent at home rather than during class.

I cannot explain the immense joy and surprise I felt on the third week when he proved me wrong!  Even more so this last week when he behaved in (good) ways I've never seen.  He has not cried or been fearful any longer.  He is eager to get to class early to play with the instruments.  He chose what movement he wanted to do (rolling his arms) during the greeting song, and actually did it.  He danced like a crazy boy during the dance time, sat on the blanket (rather than my lap) during story time, even stood in the middle of the circle (when everyone else was seated) and followed new motions to the "choo-choo" song.  He crawled through a tunnel of hula hoops without me walking him to them...twice.  Best of all, when we were driving to the gym after class he spontaneously offered "that was fun singing mama!"  Wow!

Wednesday mornings are hectic for us now.  LO doesn't always realize that cooperating means getting to class early to play with the instruments, and tantrums mean the opposite.  Having class also means either missing my gym time, or rushing there, quickly changing, squeezing in a 30 min cardio session and then setting up a picnic lunch for LO before noon.  Hectic as that can be for us, Wednesdays are quickly becoming a bright spot in my week and I'm so glad for this (last...for a while?) chance to really soak in the joy of watching my first boy grow.