The Calm Before the Storm

Finley was so excited for her second dance class.  All talk of "baway" shoes and she was ready.  I had to wake her up at 9 am to get her to class on time.  Waking a sleeping toddler is never a good thing, but she seemed alright through breakfast and on the way to class.  We got there and she walked straight over to Ms. Brenda to get her stamps.  She was ready.  One of the other moms asked if she had been in school or daycare before, since she was so good.

Then, all the moms headed out of the class and the crying, screaming tortured little girls let out their furor.  All five of them.  All at once.  All the moms could recognize their little ones' screams and it was absolute torture.  After ten minutes, it was obvious that no one was going to calm down anytime soon.  Finley had worked herself up into a tizzy, it was heartbreaking.  She just wanted to go bye-bye.

I sort of got her calmed down and we completed her class "Mommy and Me" style.  But I was the one mommy who couldn't calm her baby down.  Finley was still upset and didn't want any part of class.  So I dance around like a fool, with feather boas and all.  And Finley stood in the corner, looking as sad and pathetic as I have ever seen her.  Her teacher talked to me after class and said that she had done so well last week, she thought she was just feeding off the anxiety of the other little girls.  Next week, we are doing half mommy time and half alone time, hopefully things will improve.

As soon as we got into the car, Finley asked to go back to "baway" class.  The trauma had ended just as class had.  At least we are *hopefully* set for a happier time next week.