Mommy vs. Daycare- Saying “No”

DS2 just had his first birthday. He takes a few steps by himself, but walking is not yet his preference. Daycare would like to move him up to the next class starting in January, but would like to transition him throughout December, so yesterday I received a note stating that “since DS2 is now walking, he needs shoes for December.” December begins tomorrow.

I don’t mind him moving up to the next class. I think he’d like it. What I do mind is that daycare insists that he NEEDS shoes, when he barely walks. To me, when you say a baby is walking, that means that he can walk from one side of the room to the other. It means that when you put him down, he can stand and then walk somewhere. It means that his preferential mode of “traveling” is walking. Taking a few steps here and there is great, but it doesn’t mean he’s walking.

What I want to understand is this: at what point can a parent say “no, I am the parent and I get to decide when my son is ready for shoes”?

I know that it is my right to say whatever I feel, but I probably won’t, because I need daycare. What would I do if this disagreement ends with, “he will not be able to come back until he has shoes?” Am I willing to take the chance?

Not really.

I guess what bothers me the most is that part of being a mommy is recognizing your child’s needs. When DS2 needs shoes, I will be more than happy to take him to the shoe store and spend a small fortune on him. But, by daycare telling me that he needs shoes before I feel he is ready for them is overstepping.

So for now, I’m not sure how this saga will end. I’ve already reached out to my pediatrician to get his thought on the matter. Then we will give daycare a call and try to come to a mutual agreement... because that is what we do. We work full-time and have to compromise even when we don’t want to.

Thankful for Spending Time with Family

Long weekends don’t happen too often, but they are among the few times where I actually feel like, hey, maybe I am a good mommy after all. I am completely in charge of my kids’ daily schedule and activities. I can teach them new things, sing songs and join them for meals. We can talk, run, play and do whatever we want together. They know I’m their mommy and we all feel connected as a family.

So, after a long weekend off, it was hard thinking about leaving them at daycare again. DS2 has become especially attached to me (which is secretly heartwarming for me as a working mom), so I was especially concerned about his reaction to me walking away from him. DS1 also voiced his concern that he didn’t want to go to school because he would miss me (also secretly heartwarming).

In the end, our Monday began just like every other Monday. DS2 cried when I left him and DS1 walked into his classroom excited to be there. Returning to our regular routine was (sadly) easier than I thought it would be.

Thanksgiving and My First Parsha Infusion

I need a day off. I know, I know. I just had Veteran’s Day off (November 11th), but that was two weeks ago. I am thankful for my job, but I need another day off. We don’t have much planned, so I’m just looking forward to all the things I won’t have to do. I won’t have to pack everyone’s lunches. I won’t have to rush my kids out the door in the morning. And I won’t have to sit in traffic to and from work.

Since we don’t do an official Thanksgiving dinner (unless we’re invited to one), we decided to have company this Shabbos and cook a Thanksgiving themed menu (or is it just an excuse to cook the turkey in our freezer?). I decided to also add lentil soup to the mix for a little parsha infusion. Ever since reading how people use the parsha to plan their Shabbos table, I’ve decided that was something I wanted to do. I think it’s a great way to make each Shabbos special, so I’m starting now. It isn’t even that hard to do, especially since we wanted to have soup anyway.

Here’s the menu:

Friday Night:
Lentil Soup
Turkey + Gravy
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Kugel
Green Beans & Mushrooms

Shabbos Lunch:
Gefilte Fish
Salad
Cholent
Kishka
Kugel (not sure which one yet)
Cold Cuts
Chopped Liver
Egg Salad

Dessert: Pumpkin Crisp

I’m not really sure when we’ll make all these dishes, but my dear husband, the cook in our house is promising to have it all done. Of course I’ll help out where I can, but that probably means just keeping out of the way ;)

Broccoli Corn Kugel

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz. can corn
• 20 oz. chopped broccoli
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 diced onion
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup coffee rich
• dash salt

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients
• Pour into greased pan
• Bake on 350° for 45 minutes

Butternut Squash Kugel

*Edited to add picture cut amount of sugar in half... it doesn't need as much as was originally posted.

Ingredients:

• 4 frozen winter squash, (10 oz ea.)
• 2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• cinnamon

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients
• Grease 2 8×8 pans and pour ingredients into prepared pans
• Sprinkle cinnamon on top
• Bake on 350° for 45 minutes