Crystal Ball

Sometimes I wish there was a parenting crystal ball that told us the exact right decision to make in any given moment. Ok, I ALWAYS wish there was such a device. I think this when I am trying to decide whether to force the issue of veggies at dinner, whether she will break her neck playing gymnastics on the couch, or where to send them during the day when we can not be with them.

Jeremy and I, after much searching, had finally found a more cost effective daycare that we felt met our standards of care. We paid our fees and started transitioning Elspeth.

Yesterday I had a level 3 meltdown when Elspeth, after a nice visit to the Kangaroo room, said quietly, and with much need in her voice, "I need Bo." Yes, Ella still has her beloved Bodacious, and, while she does not often take him out anymore, he is usually locked in her arms at night. This was the first crack, that she was not handling this transition as well as we thought she was.

I know the odds are she would be fine, but my parental alarm system went off. "What if she is NOT FINE?" Once we make a choice in her life, she is the one left with the consequences. I started to think through things. The new room has much less structure than her current room, while that is OK for a lot of kids, Elspeth will most likely become a problem child in short order. The next, obviously logical, conclusion I made was that a problem child will not be loved as much as the creative genius that her current room enjoys. I started running through all the possibilities in my head, one path bright and wonderful, one slightly darker.

Jeremy and I had an emergency caucaus and realized that we can not go through with the switch. I called Next Gen, they were happy to keep the girls as though nothing had ever happened. They had been sorry to see them go, and would find a way to make it work.

So, my big Dolphin stays a big dolphin. My Cuddly Cub will continue to get her head kissed by miss Sherry each morning (averaging half a dozen kisses before I get out the door) and we will continue to have miss Lori's encyclopedic knowledge of babies at my disposal in raising our girls.

Now when I can't sleep at night, it won't be because I wonder if I am doing the best I can for my girls.