First of all – regarding the title. I know that Ali isn’t a toddler anymore, but I don’t like the term preschooler. It’s so weird – instead of describing the kid, it refers to what she WILL be doing – not even what she IS doing!
(Although I guess she IS doing preschool…but still! It annoys me!)
Call me quirky – I know that I am – but PLEASE – does anyone have an alternative term with which I can describe a three-year-old?? Until I find one, she will continue being a toddler.
Okay, I feel better now.
We’ve entered a new stage where Ali will tell me stories about what goes on when I’m not around. It’s quite entertaining, and it most definitely keeps me guessing as to how much of it is true and how much of it is her imagination or her toddler-skewed-perception-of-events.
I get the most stories about Sunday School. But as a disclaimer, this week’s is a bit hard to believe – I know they run a very orderly ship in her class. However…
Names have been changed to protect the questionably innocent.
Me: “What happened in Sunday School today?”
Ali: “Matt cried a LOT. Then Matt started knocking people down – he knocked Christopher and me down. But I didn’t cry – I just said ‘don’t knock me down, Matt.’ …… Well, really I screamed ‘NO!!!’”
(…pause…)
“Then John kicked Matt in the nose.”
Me: “Did anyone get put in time out?”
Ali: “Matt didn’t. He just didn’t obey. John got put in time out, though.”
Me: “So how about you and AJ? Were you wise?”
Ali: “Oh yes. We hid under the tables.”
It’s a comfort to know that she has good emergency preparedness skills in the event of a terrorist takeover.
That just made me smile! Sorry I have no alternative title. I went with preschooler because calling my very big boy a toddler just seemed wrong. That and well, he entered preschool last year so he is technically a preschooler just as a middle school student is a middle schooler. Oh, I know! You could call her an early homeschooler. Yeah that doesn't work either. If you come up with something good that works for girls and boys, let me know.
What about "small child"?
I still use toddler even though it is far from what she is now. Mine is in pre-schooler but that term seems weird to me, too. I'll be checking back to see if anyone comes up with a good alternative.
The first day of pre-school this year, the teacher met with the parents (without kids present) and said "I promise to only believe 50% of what your child tells me about you and your family if you promise to believe the same about what he/she tells you happens at school." So true!
Oops, I accidentally posted my comment twice and then realized I misspelled something…let me try this again:
That's quite a story…by any chance does one of those boys have a name that starts with an "N" & ends with a "iel"? ;)
Wouldn't it be cool to have hidden video cameras on your kid, so you could know what was going on when you're not around?!
As far as the term, toddler, they do call the stage b/t baby & toddler pre-toddler, so maybe Ali is in the "post-toddler" stage :)
Wht can't she just be a "three year old"? Love her story.
Christen – he was the one presumably defending Ali's honor…and then taking the fall for it. He's a good soldier…
Hiding under the table is always a good option!!!
I use the term preschooler, but mostly because Jackson is in preschool.
And I love that she was hiding under the table. One can never be too careful during Sunday School!
I love me some little Ali! She knows how to take care of herself in any situation!
Yikes! Hopefully that is not what really happened. :) There is one boy in K's sunday school that I could believe it of. It's hard to let her go in there when he is so awful. I like "toddler" too. :)