Being Eden

Eden proudly displaying her Montessori mat and her favorite clothing item... tights with anything.

It is no secret that Eden hasn't had the smoothest adjustment to starting full-time Montessori pre-school. In fact, if you've had any sort of conversation with us in the last month, I'm sure that you've witnessed some tears - from me - as I've spilled my guts about how terrible it is to drop her off in the morning.

They say (her teachers) that she dries up quickly and participates with all of her peers. She comes home with art work, new songs, and plenty of positive stories about her day. She has even become much more independent at home - dressing herself in the morning (in crazy outfit combos) and washing her dishes after dinner.

All good things, right?

Positive signs of a well adjusted child, I know.

But I have to endure the traumatic drop-offs!!

Per a suggestion from Jeanne, I have been doing little "treats" for myself after each terrible morning... like stopping for a coffee (decaf) or picking up a magazine.

But nothing has been such a treat as my conversation with Eden a couple nights ago:

She was in the tub and I was washing her hair...

She says, "Mommy, tomorrow I don't want to wear a pony tail like Brooklyn."

This is odd because she has asked for a pony tail like Brooklyn every morning for three weeks.

So I probe. "Why not, why don't you want to be like Brooklyn?"

Then she looks up at me and says the most profound statement... that doesn't even phase her three year old brain...

She says, "I just want to be like Eden."

Wow.