Avery started a new thing on our way to Elena’s recently: Whenever we turn a specific corner, about two blocks away from Elena’s, she turns to Zoe, waves and says “Bye, Sisser.” It makes both me and Zoe laugh (obviously Avery likes to plan ahead) – and it is, sadly, something that we won’t hear much longer. As I mentioned the other day, this is Avery’s last week at Elena’s.

Despite my recent resolve to *not* be sentimental or sad about this big change, I can’t help but feel emotional about leaving Elena. She has been part of our lives for the last four-and-a-half years, and it’s difficult to overstate the emotional bond that one feels with the person who cares for your children. (I was sad when Zoe left her – and that wasn’t even a final good-bye!) Plus, Avery is so happy there.

Still, I’m confident that our decision to move Avery to the JCC was the right one: Though Avery is young (seven months younger, in fact, than Zoe was when she started), the two/three-year-old class is really more like daycare than school, the teachers are fabulous and will help Avery blossom, and there are many benefits to having both girls at one place. And Elena herself made me feel better recently when I mentioned how difficult it was going to be to leave her. “Don’t be sad,” she told me. “We’re going to be friends forever.”

-M

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 at 2:46 pm and is filed under 61.Two kids-August 11. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.