Katniss Everdeen

Yes, I am that mom that takes my baby to "classes". If it makes it any better, I don't actually think he is learning any valuable skills from his coursework, nor do I think I am giving him some sort of head start for his eventual schooling. There is just only so much one can do at home and these outings are preferable to lying on the floor staring at each other. (Or me lying on the floor while B crawls over me repeatedly.)

Currently B and I are enrolled in music class and gym class, and my mom takes B to weekly story time at the library. He shows the same disdain for organized activity regardless of the curriculum.

Music class consists of moms taking off their shoes (?), sitting with their babies in a circle, and, wait for it, singing and playing music! B has a passionate love of song so everything about this class seemed right up his alley. They even say the kids are encouraged to "explore the room and explore each other". Again, right up B's alley! Accordingly, I just let B freewheel for the 45 mins we are there. This means he sits in the middle of the circle and dances while we all serenade him, crawls around the room and chews on everyone's purses and discarded shoes, and tries to steal other kids' musical instruments. The instructor's facial expression as he does this tells me that this is not the kind of exploration she encourages. (I wonder then what is?) So far the teacher has been mostly ignoring his antics but lately some of the kids have started to become inspired to follow him. During a recent class, B turned a drumstick into a rolling pin and chased it around the room. Soon, like the pied piper, he had two other babies crawling along behind him chasing their sticks. At this point the instructor abruptly ended the activity. So much for exploring.

Yesterday, in gym class, B completely rejected circle time in favor of roaming around the room and crawling up the cheese mat wedge. Again, the instructor said to let the kids roam but try to encourage them to come back to the circle and "at this age they probably will." All of my "Come on, B! Come over here!" coaxing was for not and it wasn't long before another little girl joined him on the cheese wedge. Different setting, different teacher, different rebellion, but again the entire class had to switch activities because my young Katniss Everdeen was silently, and accidentally, leading a baby rebellion. Soon the movement will reach all the classes in the city and babies will no longer be confined to boring circle time.