Madeline: What I Learned in Preschool

Since I started this “interviewing” tradition with Nick, I, of course, have to do it with Madeline too, however interviewing a three year old is far greater a challenge.

What was your favorite part of school this year?
Playing with my new friends.  Oh and our play (the end of the year Jamboree).

What was your least favorite part of school?
Banjoes (more on this below).

What will you miss about school over the summer?
Playing with my friends.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A teacher, a mommy and a doctor.

What are some things you learned this year?
How to make fishes, how to do coloring and learning my letters.

What excites you about the next school year?
Doing big kids’ stuff .

For her school’s end of year celebration, they had a Jamboree, with the kids dressing up as cowboys and cowgirls.  A week before the event, the director cornered me.

“I need Madeline to wear a white shirt and jeans.  And her hair in pigtails.”

Have you not met my daughter?

She laughed.  “I know, but please?  Can you see what you can do?”

They had decided to make her Jessie (from Toy Story, which means nothing to me because we’ve never seen it.  I know, shocking).  I promised to do my best.  The morning started in tears, of course, because Madeline wanted no part of wearing a shirt that didn’t have an animal on it.  Or wearing anything besides shorts or soft pants.  We settled somewhere in the middle with a white shirt with a cat on it.  I knew better than to attempt to pigtails at home, but instead, dropped her off with ponytail holders for her teacher to put in right before showtime.  As you can see from the picture, they didn’t win that battle either.

The night before the concert, half of our dinnertime conversation was about how much Madeline hated the banjo.  She didn’t want to play it.  Or hold it.  Or have anything to do with it.  So you can imagine our surprise when Nick and I saw her strumming it during the whole concert.  She completely got in characters, sans pigtails, and we were seriously amazed.  As Nick put it, “our little girl is growing up.”  Case in point:  Last year, when we went to Hershey Park over Labor Day weekend, she rode the carousel countless times, but my little fearless dynamo wanted me standing next to her, holding the horse the whole time.  Tonight, the kids went to the carnival without me for a bit, and The Neighbor Wife was texting me pictures of Madeline on the carousel by herself (with Nick and Payton, just no grown-up).  A lot changes in a year.  Even with our little firecracker.

June 30, 2011 – Bonus Photos