Every Who down in Whoville liked “special days” a lot,
Except for their teachers,
Crockett and Dunsiger,
Who often did not.
These days seem so joyful,
So awesome, so fun,
But we had to wonder,
Are they perfect for everyone?
One day was for hats,
Head pieces, and such,
But one child had a giant one,
That for outdoors was too much.
It was far too frigid
To go without a hat that day,
But a hat squished her creation,
Which was beyond stressful, we’ll say.
Crockett tucked and rearranged,
Made it smaller and such,
But even with all that she did,
The stress was too much.
If her hat came off,
Her ears would go red,
But with it on,
“Is everything alright?,” is all that she said.
She was reluctant to play,
Kept going back to her hat,
Which made settling a struggle,
And little could be done about that.
Then a few days later came Twin Day,
Dress up like a buddy,
Which all seemed fine,
Except for somebody …
She dressed up as a friend
In a class beside us,
Which was only a problem
Because of the Coronavirus.
She wanted to see her friend,
Get a photo, stand side by side,
But in two different cohorts,
Their worlds couldn’t collide.
We said that we’d take over a picture —
Pass a drawing through the door —
But for this four-year-old,
She wanted so much more.
Her requests were constant,
“Couldn’t she see her twin now?”
We kept on explaining,
But what to say to her? How, how?!
A few deep breaths,
Some drawing, and a little food,
Helped her feel better.
It wasn’t perfect, but did change her mood.
Stress behaviour a plenty
For every change in routine.
It brings out the Grinch in us,
We promise: we’re not trying to be mean.
Special days can be fun,
And our kids loved them. It’s true.
But stressors abounded
For some kids and adults too.
With lockdown this Christmas,
And more changes in store,
The stressors will continue …
Likely not less, but MORE.
A little bit of routine,
An extra hug from mom and dad,
Some quiet time, some movement —
Might be needed more than a tad.
The Grinch in us knows
That every day can’t always be the same,
And learning to adapt,
Is part of the game.
But in the midst of the “special,”
The changes, the fun,
A little bit of normal,
Could be good for everyone.
Happy holidays to all,
Best wishes. Many joyous days!
If you need me right now,
I’ll be relaxing in my most favourite of Self-Reg ways! 🙂
