Toddlers are SOOOO cute.
I don’t love dropping Preston off at daycare, because I miss him when we are apart and a lot of the time I have to sneak out to avoid the crisis that will ensue if we make eye contact when I leave. But lately I have come up with an adorable solution for crisis free drop offs: Hugs! And not by me. Every time I drop Preston off at school I try to spot the nearest child and say, “Look, Preston, Alivia needs a hug.” Hearing her name with the word “hug” after it, little Alivia perks right up, runs over and stands awkwardly in front of Preston. Then I remind him that she needs a hug, and they tentatively embrace. If the embrace lasts too long, sometimes they tip over – together - which is hilarious!
Now, I’ve been working on this drop off technique for a long time, and the journey has been super silly. When I first started doing it I would call out to some of the older toddlers. They would come over while Preston “allowed” them to hug him. Little Peej would lean in for a hug, but wouldn’t put his arms out to return it. Luckily 2 year olds aren’t offended by this. It has gotten to the point where the kids know when I walk in that it is Preston-hug-time, and they all run over for a group hug. And, heaven forbid they see someone else hugging Preston; they MUST participate.
Preston has learned to return the hugs, and will even sometimes throw in a kiss, which, again, is amazingly adorable.
He still doesn’t like it when I leave, so we still have to avoid eye contact with each other, but with all the hugging going on, Mom is the last thing on his mind.
What do you do to distract your child?