I'm getting a real mirror on how crazy things are around here!
So, these are drop-ins where circle times are somtimes convened, and official policy is that kids are _not_ required to participate. The craft tables are not even staff-supervised. Other parents read the instructions printed on cards and left on the tables and take these as gospell, officially they are intended to help parents who can't think of ways to support arts&crafts for their kids, and who need something to hook onto. Then they find it "distracting" for my kid to be making hearts on st. patricks day, or building houses instead of using the glitter glue. I think the expectations are unreasonable for even the most compliant kids, and so this "distracting" problem is pretty big for parents who are trying to get thier kids to follow such specific instructions.
Yup, we're in Ontario. Frankly I'd never looked that up. I'm ammused and appalled all at once. It's taken as gospell that kids HAVE TO NAP, or the center will get in trouble. I've never had anyone do anything but commiserate on it.
We go to the library by ourselves. We have fun, but then we have the other half of the day to fill
We usually do the drop-ins when we have activities that leave gaps in the day, 2.5 hours in between things, not enough time to get home, too much time for just lunch, or we really can't afford another lunch out and need a place to eat a bag lunch etc. In our area, community center programmes provide no playspace before or after (they lock the doors) so a half-hour swim class can mean there's not enough time to get to the science center, but there's also a big gap before the library opens at 1, etc. Are these problems anyone else has had, or are we really that crazy?
Ugh. I mostly just ignore it when people are annoyed with us and chalk it up to obsessive pushy parents, but I've had this comming at me from all sides lately, and I was thinking maybe I was out of line. At least the ground will start drying out... uhh... not that soon.
-Mich
