Thursday, August 30, 2007

The verdict is in

Note to the J-monster: Please be assured that this entire post is about a certain little girl who is not Moppet. Any resemblance you may notice is purely coincidental.)

So it's official. Playschool rocks.

Yesterday I arrived early to pick her up, and passed the time watching the kids at lunch through the big glass windows of their dining room. I watched The-Girl-Who-Is-Not-Moppet shovel down her food with an enthusiasm she had hitherto reserved exclusively for jumping and noise-making. Honestly, her teachers probably think I don't feed the child at home! I watched entranced as she returned her plate and glass (helped by a teacher) to the kiddy-sized counter, and bestowed an enormous thank-you grin upon the lunch lady who took the plate and glass.

After being cleaned up - with warm towels, what luxury I tell you! - she then headed to the bookshelf in the corner of the dining area and pulled out a few books to leaf through. Her teacher's requests to put the books back as it was time to go home were studiously ignored. In an attempt to hurry her along, the teacher pointed me out, standing smush-nosed against the glass window.

She looked up at me, put the books back on the shelf, and trotted towards the door where I waited. As I knelt to pick her up, she gave a little 'where have you been?' wail, but I could see that it was a half-hearted effort, more for effect than anything else. (She's a right little drama queen - I know, because she gets that from me.) She then proceeded to sing the I-love-you song - aaee laaa ye - and hug her teacher, before letting me lead her out to find her chooz.

So playschool has been given a great big thumbs up. In celebration, we promptly bunked today and went swimming instead. And then we lazed around for the rest of the morning. No, correction, I lazed around while she worked hard on her thesis. She's apparently doing serious research into new techniques to break her own head. (Do they make crash helmets for babies? Where can I get one?)

The-Girl-Who-Is-Not-Moppet at Playschool Pictures taken by my (lousy) camera phone, over the first couple of days at playschool.

24 comments:

Itchingtowrite said...

great that she has taken to play school so well. on the head banging thing, my kids do that all the time. they r extremely sadistic abt it and want it to really hurt.. so everytime they do it- i take them to teh bean bag and make them bang their head multiple times on that. after a few tries, Ojas has started shaking his head in no and laughing whenever i tell him go bang at the bean bag.

Savani said...

am glad the non-moppet is adjusting well :) cut oics!

Anusha said...

To the Girl-who-is-not-Moppet:
I knew it! you adjusted so well, so quickly that you've given me renewed hope. go easy on the thesis, save that work for Moppet, who is not going to playschool, not eating her food on her own and is, in general, making life hell for her Momma.

Squiggles Mom said...

The girl-who-is-not-moppet looks really cool. Squiggles on the other hand has started recognising me and creates havoc for her grandma everytime I leave her there.

Sue said...

Why do they bang their heads? I understand that empty dabbas can take a lot of headbanging but weak-hearted Emmmas just can't!

Give that little girl who is not Moppet a big kiss for being such a smart kiddo.

Choxbox said...

hey looks like she has had her hair cut recently.

like the J-monster idea :) anyway congrats as moppet doesnt like playschool.

Sunita said...

the-girl-who-is-not-moppet does not even look like moppet (from whatever I thought she looked like in the previous snaps)...Duh uh!!!

She seems to be enjoying herself :) very cute pics.

anja said...

haha! bunked school and lazed around=)

Maggie said...

Itchy: Thanks - it's not just pure headbanging, it's all sorts of things - attempted somersaults on the floor, jumping off the coffee table, trying to make stairs out of sofa cushions - she's a pretty tough little thing overall, but I do worry that she'll crack her head open one of these days....

Dotmom: Thanks

Kodi's Mom: I hope she listens to you - I'm sure I'm going to drop dead from fright one of these days the way she's going....

Squiggles Mom: Oh, I'm sure you're secretly quite pleased, though! ;-)

Sue: Delivered with pleasure!

Choxbox: Yes, I finally did a hackjob on her hair - over 3 days! LOL! Looks fairly ok now - better than the shaggy, curly mess it was before.

Sunita: They grow up - too soon! Plus, maybe it's the haircut...

Anja: Forgotten pleasures :-)

Anonymous said...

How cho NOT cweet. Hugs to the little girl who-is-not-moppet.. And congrats to the mom for the job well done!

timepass said...

say my hi to the girl-who-is-not-moppet...BTW hows her thesis coming along??? atleast half way through?? LOL

the mad momma said...

they let you take pics in school.. *wistful sigh* :(

Just Like That said...

The girl-who's-not-Moppet has almost NO resemblance to Moppet. Are you sure you didn't bring the wrong kid back? Nope, I guess you didn't, the head break-research is right up little Moppet's line. LOL!

Swati said...

WOOW...Great..Congrats to the Mumma. I know how perfect they are at this crying drama :)

All the best for the thesis (To the Mumma and not to the girl :D)

Sunita Venkatachalam said...

Gosh the not-moppet girl with her haircut looks cuter than moppet ! I love that she's hating playschool so much ! :)

Smitha said...

pics are lovely....:-)

Cantaloupes.Amma (CA) said...

Not-moppet-girl looks so cool in her new hair cut! She loves school too... great !
And I am sure your little moppet girl would have loved to stay with you :)

Mystic Margarita said...

The girl-who-is-not-Moppet also does a great Moppet impression , don't you think? ;) I'll send Popol over to help M with the head-banging research - yesterday he insisted on banging his head, bull-style, into the side of the sofa. When I tried to stop him from hurting himself, he glared at me and slapped me. It's a new form of domestic abuse, I say! Lol.

WhatsInAName said...

Sweet post! :)

Ardra said...

delightful post!
well, I can afford to say that now, becos my babies are 17 and 12.

btw, have voted for you.

Maggie said...

Rbdans: I wish I could take credit - but in all honesty, I don't think I can - she's just being herself :-)

Timepass: It would be better for my health, not to mention hers, if she'd finish her thesis, but no signs of that happening yet...

MM: Not just that, THEY take pics too, and each child gets a book of her doing all the stuff at school at the end of the term. Nice, huh?

JLT: Ah, there's an idea - maybe I did bring home a different kid! That might account for the split personality! :-)

Swati, Poppins, Smitha, CA: Thank you, thank you - I will take credit for the haircut, nothing else though!

Mystic: It is domestic abuse, isn't it? I don't know how many more shocks my poor heart can take... :-)

WIN: Thank you, and welcome to the blog!

Ardra: Thank you muchly! :-)

Something to Say said...

Great going girl-who's-not-moppet. And good going mommy - lazing around at the swimming pool

Shammi said...

Ohhh... that photo of Moppet sitting at the table is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO darn cute!

~nm said...

:D Be it play school or formal school, we parents will always be REAL apprehensive about our children adapting to them and being taken care of well. ALWAYS! Thats what I feel.

Good to know she's doing so well and enjoying herself! And I'm sure you also know it clearly now that our kids really know how to put us down in front of others. When you say "NO, my kid doesn't eat that!" That very moment they will grab it and eat it and you will be looking at them open jawed.

:D