Passing Doors

The classrooms in Madeline's daycare are laid out in a U with a large common area in the middle. As I made my way around the hallway this afternoon, I passed by the infant room, the toddler room, and the upper toddler room, glancing through the glass doors, as I rounded the corner to Madeline's new place of learning...the preschool.

She's been transitioning slowly to the preschool over the past month, but she started there permanently this week. Her name and picture are on a fresh, new cubby to make it official.

In the preschool, they talk about the weather and note today's date during circle time. They are currently studying space. They rotate through different play stations. Madeline enjoys "housekeeping." She also was sure to tell us that they no longer wear smocks during lunch. Apparently preschoolers don't dump spaghetti on themselves as often. Lots of big changes.

Meanwhile, the other children in her class seem so much older. They tower over Madeline, who just last week, was one of the tallest of her peers. They speak clearly and confidently. All traces of baby babble have vanished. A little boy said, "Hi there, buddy!" to Eric and giggled during our first visit.

This unfamiliar maturity is already starting to rub off on Madeline. She tries so hard to use her fork properly, she prefers cups without lids, and she has a renewed interest in using the "big potty."

We've watched Madeline progress from one end of the U all the way down to a new hallway. When I look into her old rooms, I can't help but notice how small the babies look, how simple the toys seem, how dependent they are on the teachers. It's like looking into the past, And she 's growing so much, so fast that it's nice to have a reminder of how far she's come.