We started taking our nursery kids to Primary singing time two weeks ago. The primary leaders are hoping to acclimate our little kids to primary before next week when the leave nursery and venture into Sunbeams. It reminds me of Wendy when she explained to Peter Pan, “I have to grow up tomorrow.” But our little babies don’t understand what is going on.
The first week we took them to primary they were overwhelmed. One little boy sat in my lap the entire time and whenever the pianist began playing, he covered his ears to block out the noise. Another little boy sat in Nate’s lap and after five minutes turned to Nate and said, “I want to go back to my class.” After 10 minutes of primary the kids had about as much as they could handle so we told them it was time to leave. They literally ran down the hall back to the comfort and safety of nursery.
Last Sunday we tried again. We had eleven - yes, ELEVEN - kids and only 3 adults. We miraculously got them in a line in the nursery room and started walking them down the hall. Obviously, the line did not last long. When we got to primary they sat down in the back two rows of the room and behaved remarkably well. I think their senses were overloaded and so they sat in stunned silence.
After about 2 minutes they began wiggling and some of the kids became weepy. At one point I had three 3-year-olds in my lap at once. That is something I’ve never accomplished before and quite honestly didn’t think was possible. All I can say is 3-year-olds are persistent.
We lasted maybe ten minutes before none of the 11 bodies were sitting in their chairs any more. The singing was completely lost on them- if they’re not singing “Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam,” “Once there was a Snowman,” “I love to see the Temple,” or “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” they don’t respond at all. So we whispered to them that it was time to go back to nursery. Those were the magic words. The kids were so excited to leave. One of the little girls left us when we got into primary to sit with her mom, so I went to get her. When I turned around, the other 10 kids were gone. I stepped out into the hall and they’d already made it back to nursery after a mad dash down the hall, same as last week.
Poor kids. They don’t know what’s in for them next month. And we’ll miss them once they “grow up” and graduate from nursery. Sometimes I wish there was a never-never land.
I love reading about your nursery kids. You have a gift for writing!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I just discovered your blog! I feel like a lame-o since you've been reading mine and the thought didn't cross my mind "hmm.. maybe Katie has a blog too!" Anyways, I just spend a good half hour reading through it and was quite entertained :) I love finding new blogs- you're great!
ReplyDelete"All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, ‘Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!’ This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end."
ReplyDelete— J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)