Being a parent is both a joy and a challenge. No amount of planning or foresight can totally prepare you for the new world that awaits you with your first baby. When your baby arrives, you life is forever changed. You form a major love relationship with an unknown person and make a lifetime commitment to someone you’ve just met! In your relationship with your child, you assume a new role that affects almost every part of your life.

During the first five years, children change rapidly and dramatically. Parents need to keep readjusting too! When you finally get your baby to sleep through the night, they give up their morning nap and upset your routine. You want them to crawl, and then find them on top of the cupboard the following week. They fuss while getting their teeth and begin losing them when they’ve barely been used. Their favorite words change from “Mama & Dada” to “No!” Once they are able to, they ask hundreds of questions each day and expect immediate answers.

You are your child’s first and most influential teacher. While learning to be flexible and adaptable to your ever changing child, you are also developing skills to guide and encourage your child as they grow. When they are babies and you offer comfort when they cry, they begin to learn that they are valued and that people are trustworthy. When they are two years old and you remove them, kicking and screaming from a store, they are learning limits. When they are five and you help them make a turn on their bike, they are learning problem-solving skills.

Yes, parenting your children is a major challenge, but it is a challenge filled with opportunities for parents, teachers, and children to experience many joys and satisfactions. With all this in mind, I hope our relationship during your stay in the infant room with be a positive one.

We’re looking forward to a great year.