Save the “Mommy Guilt”

I often have “Mommy Guilt” when I add up all the hours Tootie is in pre-school. In the morning, I drop her off between 8:30 and 9:00am. At pick up I’m there between 5:45 and 6:27pm (the Pre-school closes at 6:30). Most times I rush through the door to find her immersed in a coloring project, dancing with her friends, or “reading” a book.

I build up all these thoughts in my mind about how much time she stays at school, how long we’re apart, etc. Add to some of these long days, my exercise routine that includes classes at the Y, and that could extend her day by another hour or two.

Every now and again, I have to take a breath. I get to school and realize she’s well taken care of, and actually having fun! Her nine or ten hour day has been filled with singing, dancing, arts and crafts, reading, nature walks, and all the hard work of being a pre-schooler. When I take her over to the Y for my classes, she fusses for a while, but gets right in the swing of things with the Child Watch staff and all the activities they provide.

It’s good to know that I can save the “Mommy Guilt” for some other occasion. When she’s at school, she’s in good hands. When I’m working on the “Mommy Gut” at the gym, she’s still in good hands. Maybe I can channel my guilt elsewhere… like the fact that she won’t be getting a $50,000 car for her 16th birthday, like the kids on MTV.

Posted by Angie Kirk, Y Preschooler Parent, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Family Center Y

To Be Young at Heart

Here at the Y of Central Maryland Baltimore County Head Start, we have a teacher who has never forgotten how it feels to be a young child. Mrs. Nadene Evelyn is 57 years young, and has worked for the Y for over ten years. She has three adult children and eight grand children. Yet, Nadene has taken it upon herself to be our resident Choosy.

Who is Choosy you may ask? Choosy is an ambassador for healthy children and the prevention of childhood obesity. Through contemporary music, dance and appropriate activities, Nadene (as Choosy) spends up to 45 minutes in a costume that can get up to 90 degrees. Nadene (as Choosy) talks to children about making healthy food choices and showing them how to move their bodies as a way to promote exercise and fitness. Nadene visits all ten of our Baltimore County Head Start centers and on April 17, she will visit our Druid Hill Y Head Start program in Baltimore city.

No one had to ask Nadene to have the Choosy costume made and she receives no pay to do it, she just loved the message Choosy gives to young children. When asked why she does this, she replied “The children, they love Choosy. I love seeing the fun they have while dancing and moving, and the smiles on their little faces. That’s what makes me want to do this, that’s my pay.” Many of us are younger and have more nimble bodies than Mrs. Nadene, but are we willing to step out of our adulthood (RUSH, RUSH, RUSH… and RUSH) to take the time to become a child’s hero? Wow TO BE YOUNG AT HEART!

Posted by Felecia Veale-Buckson, Baltimore County Head Start Site Manager, Y of Central Maryland