Entry #24, 23 November 2009

I'c and F'r greeted me in the morning, and another staff member told me C'n came to check out my voice when I was passing by.

Despite L'e's overly energetic and often challenging nature, he's actually pretty clever. He build a tower of blocks, saying "I did it!", and also seems to be the most skillful so far in threading shapes. While the others seem to fumble about in their attempts, L'e demonstrates a good degree of fine motor skills.

I greeted L'e's father at the door, and he seemed to be in a talkative mood. Most of the parents usually just pay attention to the room leader, but he talked to me instead. He told me how L'e was doing that day, commented on his face painting last Friday, and told me he'd also forgotten L'e's nappies. Maybe he was just too embarrassed to tell the room leader he'd forgotten the nappies.

At the end of the day, I'c's mother asked how my training was coming along. That's the first time I've felt a parent has actually expressed geniune interest in me, as opposed to just focusing on their own child.

K'm was rather unsettled again this morning. A staff member pointed out that he's fine when I'm not around, but when he sees me he acts up to get attention. This was further demonstrated when I left the room. He began to act like his normal cheerful self, but when I came back he started to act up again.

Moving Forward

My relationships with the parents and children continues to improve. What a pity I only have 2 more weeks to go!

While staff members may often feel that parents just focus on their children and don't enquire much about them personally, I guess the same applies vice versa. The end of the day is also pretty hectic, as both staff members and children start to leave. That just makes it all the more meaningful when someone actually takes the effort to show an interest. However, as much as I'd like to ask parents how the financial markets are doing, I don't think they'd really like to discuss it with me.

I've already started trying to pamper K'm less. That could actually be contributing to him seeking more attention, but he'll have to get used to it. He acts the same way in the mornings, getting upset when his parents drop him off, although as soon as they're gone he plays all over with a huge smile on his face.