My son Jayden has officially finished with daycare this week.  This is his last week and he would be starting kindergarten next week.  Oh, my son is growing up, my first born is going off to school, the proper school, oh my heart struggled a little bit.  A friend had warned me that I could be in a big mess next week, emotionally, let’s just wait and see. 

Before I started my own daycare and whilst still working in my previous job, JD used to go to a lady by the name of Andrea at a nearby family daycare.  She took him on when he was just 7 months old!  That was how he looked when he was 7 months old. 

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This lady melt my heart, because she is so kind, so loving.  JD used to cry all the time during nap time, and everyday, every week she would sit down next to the cot, pat his bottom till she gradually weaned him off with that.  As a first time mom then, my heart would hurt if I knew anyone was going to let JD cry it out, I just wasn’t prepared for that.  But she continued to assure me that she would rock him, pat his bottom till he finaly outgrow it.  And it took her only a few weeks to do that.

JD is 4 now, and Andrea has looked after him for 3.5 years, every week of the year.  The bond between JD and Andrea is hard to put into words.  As I said Andrea touched my heart, and we are forever so grateful for her.

She always knew how worried I was about JD, seeing me rushed between morning drop offs, to work, pick ups that she volunteered herself to look after JD till 5.30pm so that I could avoid the rush.  Sometimes when I am running late, she would have already given him dinner, cleaned him up and all I needed to do was put him to bed.  JD also became part of her family, he came to know her husband, her daughters and quite often JD would hang around in the family room, kitchen when I picked him up.

She became like an extended family member, whom I call for help and advice.  The few weeks before Chloe was born, Andrea used to remind me that she has her phone next to her bed, just in case I need to be at the hospital in the night.  When I am not well, and needed rest, but no one to help, we usually call Andrea for help.  Because we just felt so close to her.  Andrea’s home is like a second home for JD and Chloe.  They know where everything is.

After Chloe was born, and subsequently me starting my own daycare, Phil and I continued to let JD be at daycare every Tuesday.  Chloe also joined her brother subsequently when she was 7 months old.  We didn’t want to take JD out simply because the bond between JD and Andrea was just too precious.  We have been preparing him for this day, the fact that he is starting school next week and this would be his last week with Andrea.  This week he said to me “Mommy, this is my last week at daycare, I am going to the big school next week.”  I almost have to hold back my tears when he said that because I know he is so ready for school but I just feel a little bit sad that he is growing up so fast.

On his last day, Andrea and I were more affected than JD himself.  We felt sad, we hugged, we cried, eventhough we are still going to see each other every week because Chloe is still going there every Tuesday.   But I guess Andrea is just so going to miss JD and I miss the fact that Andrea is the very first person that helped to look after JD when I wasn’t there.  She said she has never had one child that make her laugh so much and the fact that sometimes he speaks like an adult just makes her laugh.

And Andrea is so special because she care, love my two kids just as much as we do.  Her love for our kids is unconditional. 

There have been many friends that asked me “How could you bear to leave your child and go to work?”.  It was hard in the very beginning but made easier solely because of Andrea.  Phil and I knew JD was in very good hands.  She was his sole caregiver, she knows what he ate during the day, how many poops he did, how long he slept for, what he played with, whom he played with, what made him laughed during the day, what was his favourite thing to do and so forth …. So really, when we find a caregiver like Andrea, we knew she would be with our family for a long time. 

So, it’s almost like a new era for us.  My first born is going to school next week, I am getting his new bag out, new shoes, new hat, new water bottle, lunch box, sticking on new name labels….and I am here holding back tears.  Arggh….

I felt a little bit sad when he finished with pre-kindy at the end of last year, but I didn’t expect myself to feel this sad now that he has finished daycare and going off to the big school! 

More on him starting school next week….