Have I said how much I adore the 8 year old girl Kaylee at daycare? Julia adores her, and Kaylee adores Julia. She's at the daycare full-time as a student during the summer, and she spends quite a bit of time with Julia. Do I care that Julia's unofficial caregiver is an 8 year old? I'm actually more impressed with her unofficial caregiver than her official caregiver. At least in the toddler room.
Every time I give the official caregiver special instructions (as in, don't feed her an afternoon snack because she's having a medical procedure OR give her the sippy cup I brought for every meal and snack), they get ignored. Somehow I think that if I told the 8 year old, the instructions would be followed. Back when we used an infant carrier, Kaylee even knew which carrier was Julia's (no one else who worked there did).
Today at dropoff, after being gone a week, Julia was clingy. I knew she'd scream if I set her down, and I was dreading the moment. So I was carrying her around as I was putting things away (yeah, I don't trust the toddler teacher to not get her stuff mixed up with someone else's, so I do it myself). The toddler teacher is tending to a kid, and in bursts Kaylee through the door. I'm not sure if she saw us come in or what. I do know she has to get permission to leave her normal classroom before coming in. Kaylee screams, "Julia!" After all, they haven't seen each other in over a week. Julia looks at Kaylee, gives her a bright smile, and Kaylee takes her from my arms. Screaming crisis averted, and Kaylee starts twirling with Julia, who is laughing up a storm.
And that, folks, is why I love that 8 year old. She's totally getting a Christmas bonus from me. Or a Christmas in July bonus. What can I do for her??? Is homemade stuff out? Isn't it tacky to hand someone cash? Oh what to do!
Can I already book her for babysitting gigs when she turns 13? I love this kid.
Can daycare put her on the payroll? Seriously, I wouldn't mind. It's a win/win for everyone. Julia gets 1:1 attention from Kaylee. The toddler teacher doesn't have to deal with Julia as much. I get peace of mind. Kaylee might be the one who gets the short end of the stick, but for whatever reason she seemed ecstatic to see Julia & she could have some pocket money.
I guess what warms my heart the most is that someone aside from the infant teachers really cares about Julia and takes the time to treat her so nicely.
2 comments:
She is Julia's very own personal little guardian angel! Hmmmmm...why don't you secretly go talk to Kaylee's teacher and ask what she is into. Maybe she collects a certain doll or stuffed animal or something like that... I'll do some thinking on it too!
Great idea, LA!
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