Steve and I hit a major milestone in our parenting journey yesterday. Briggs turned 18 months a few days back which just so happens to be the magical age where kids can attend the nursery class at church. We have been counting down this day for some time and we walked with an extra skip in our step yesterday morning. (We’ve been going in the last couple weeks with him to get him used to it.) But with most things that you look forward to with great anticipation – reality rarely meets our lofty expectations.
Steve and I both know that Briggs is a needy/attached child. But something in me wanted to believe we could drop him off and enjoy church without interruptions. The reality was I dropped him off and made a beeline to the door when he wasn’t looking. The minute he noticed I was gone he was crying and screaming. The bandaid had been ripped off, right? We were in the clear…we were, until minutes later I could hear him from down the hallway. I waited it out a little longer hoping they could get him calmed down. But as much as I wanted an interruption-free Sunday, I couldn’t stand the thought of the poor teachers trying to console my child for the duration of the class.
I ended up bailing them out and I sat on the floor surrounded by toys with Briggs right next to me. When I had to leave to go teach a lesson, Steve took my spot on the floor, and Briggs kept a healthy two foot radius. I realize it was wishful thinking to hope that he would enjoy nursery tear-free. In reality, Steve and I will probably drop him off each week with new and more sophisticated tactics to get him to stay and after he cries for a good amount of time, we will relieve the teachers and enjoy our spot on the floor. Luckily, Briggs isn’t alone. He has a little buddy who is just as nervous in there and I’m hoping they can figure it out together.
Here’s a picture – not from Sunday because he was grumpy pants, but from a couple days prior to show he really does have a fun happy side – it’s just unfortunate that the only people who get to see that usually are the people that live in our home! Wish us luck – and the nursery leaders! 🙂
