Toddlers, potties and daycare, oh my!

So many things occupy my mind and my time right now. Honestly, how I remember to get up in the morning amazes me. I have been needing to make myself two doctors' appointments for two weeks, but I keep forgetting. Maybe I'll do it today. Maybe not.

Anyway... I had a chat with Becky, your teacher this morning. It started by me asking her if she has your art anywhere. When you were in the one year old room, you had artwork almost daily. Daddy still has a pile in his car (that's another story). But since you've been in the two's room, I think we've brought home only two or three pieces. She did in fact have a small stash of about five pieces, and she's working on cubbie holes for each child's artwork. The cubbies are there, they're just not being used. Um, duh. But she surprised me when she said she hasn't been doing it because most of the parents basically don't care. She said most don't even come back into the classrooms to pick up or drop off their kids, they wait in the office for their kids.

WHAT?!

Okay, so then I figured I'd bite the bullet and ask about potty training. I told her that I wanted you to start this, but no matter what I do with her at home, it will be worthless unless she and the daycare push it too. And I wanted to know what she thought about it. She said that there's no sense in doing it at daycare if the parents aren't working on it regularly at home too, and most parents don't/aren't willing to.

WWWHHAAATTT?

I assured her that (a) I was very interested in what my daughter is doing at school, and in fact would appreciate knowing MORE about her schedule, her interests, etc. in addition to getting her artwork, and (b) potty training is very important to me, and my husband and we have been and will continue working with her at home and would appreciate if she supports us in that with her efforts at daycare.

Don't get me wrong, she's really nice. And she wasn't trying to say that I'm not interested in these things, just kind of the opposite. Nobody else is interested in these things in their kids. That is simply f'ed up.

So I made a decision right then and there. First, I don't want my daughter in an environment where the kids are in families that don't frankly care about the quality of their education or daily life. Second, I don't want my daughter in an environment where the staff expects that kind of an experience for their students (I want them to expect me to do my part!). And third, I want you potty trained, and fast. The sooner you are potty trained, the sooner I can get you out of there.

And the icing on the cake? One of your two-year-old classmates showed up in her Daddy's car (with FOUR large "Viva Bush!" bumper stickers on the back). Her Daddy got out of the car to come around and get her out, flicking a cigarette. I looked more closely and realized that he'd driven up, smoking a cigarette, with all the windows UP. From the film on the windows, it was far from the first time.

Something's gotta give.