How to be a good mom

My assistant Melissa just left for maternity leave. The students put together a book of good-bye letters, complete with advice on how to be a good mom. A few gems:

• "I think the day you have your baby will be the BEST! My mom says I'm the best thing that ever happened to her."
  
• "Teach him to be a gentleman."
• "Babies cry because they are cold. They miss being in their moms' warm stomachs. That's what my mom told me."
• "Your baby needs plenty of sunshine."
• "Make sure you give him lots of love and care."
• "When he's 4, he can come here to go to school with us."
• "Teach him to use the remote control." (oh dear)
• "Make sure you get enough sleep."
• "Make sure you have time to go out with your girlfriends and have a break."
  
• "Teach him to be good when he goes to the dentist to get his teeth checked or cleaned.

(This last one was from Tyshaun, who came in yesterday and sought me out purposefully in order to say, "I have to leave early today to go to the dentist." Remembering his advice to Melissa, I thought there was perhaps something going on in all this dentist talk. "How do you feel about going to the dentist?" I asked. "Not good," he answered emphatically. He told me he doesn't like having people put their fingers in his mouth, or getting shots in his mouth. I could very much empathize, and I told him what I do at the dentist when I'm nervous: close my eyes, take deep breaths, and try to think about something else.)

Jerome made a big picture, split in the middle horizontally. On the top was a baby in a crib, with big bubble letters over the top that said: "Let Baby Sleep!" On the bottom was a baby in a high chair, with the heading: "Let Baby Eat!"

Melissa's baby boy was born yesterday morning. He's got 22 happy aunties and uncles in our classroom.