20-08-16 Little Streams Nursery

Saturday 20th August 2016

These are the benefits of having friends with influence: we got to spend a day at newly opened Little Streams Nursery when Kingsley is not even enrolled. That is GOLD for any mum with an active kid stuck in Dubai during the summer; a novel place to play. A good friend of ours here has just taken the Nursery as a client, and she managed to get Kingsley in to come and play. We spend hours inside and out of the magnificent property: a newly renovated villa in Al Manara very close to the metro line (but more importantly, afew hundred meters away from kid-friendly Lime Tree Cafe).

Even though it’s searing hot, nothing stops a toddler from wanting to explore the outdoor jungle gym and toys. Kingsley sweat up a storm climbing and jumping and only stopped for water when I threatened him with leaving. Inside the villa at last -ahhh cooling airconditioned classrooms we adore you! – we spoke with the toddler teacher Miss. Tanya who immediately took a shine to our boy. Clever, intelligent, sassy the child is, she declared…but undisciplined. Doesn’t know boundaries. Has not been shown limits. Is unruly and disruptive, in fact as a teacher she said, Kingsley would be the type of kid who is a nuisance in class; highly disruptive to the other kids learning, and my teaching, she opined. I was nodding. A little sad at that thought. Good looking kid…but an absolute dickhead. Is this our son’s future??? In fact, what time does he go down for the night, she asked. Immediately I snap out of my morbid reverie. I didn’t hesitate or lie: midnight. Every night midnight, I confess. Issue number one, she says. Got it in one, teacher.

I know all of this about our son. After all, it is me his Mumma, who’s job it is to provide loving discipline…and I have not. Cannot deny that. And as I watched Kingsley yell, throw, destroy and demand, but be oh so playful and gorgeous, I knew my job is only just beginning. Of course I call Erroll the instant we leave Little Streams Nursery late in the afternoon. I’ve created a monster darling. No one will want to play with Kingsley at school, Erroll. His future teachers will hate him. HE WILL NOT LEARN ANYTHING BECAUSE HE IS SO UNDISCIPLINED. ITS ALL MY FAULT!!!  Erroll snaps me out of my spiraling madness. You you are doing a fine job with our son; he will not be hated in the future; he will not despise school…he is an active, inquisitive, confident two and a half year old with a vibrant mind and muscly little body, which he like to exercise. That’s all, Alice.

I learned so much in the hours we spent at Little Streams. I found out how some people perceive our son, a mirror was held up to my own neuroses, and I learned to listen to reason. Yes, sleeping late is not ideal, but waking at 10 am is bliss in my family’s books! I’ve learned also to give appropriate weight to perceived problems…which may actually never spill into issues. Who knows what the future holds for Kingsley? He may become an Olympian! That muscly little body just may catapult him into the record books one day…

image

Enjoying the wobbly bridge

image

Outdoor wall art at Little Streams Nursery

image

Outdoor wall art at Little Streams Nursery

image

JiaJia Dôra enjoying summer sun