As the new year approaches, we are now looking into his education or rather, places that we can enrol him to build on his social and interaction skills. Currently, he is still going for half day child care but we will be pulling him out of the centre at the end of the year. He has been there for half a year and we don't think the place is beneficial for him. He doesn't enjoy it at all. No doubt, he doesn't cry anymore when we bring him there. I think he knows that even if he cries, he still has to go there. But we know that he hates going to the centre.
His Daddy is the one who brings him to the centre every morning so whenever I am at home in the morning (on Saturdays or during the hols) he doesn't want to follow his Daddy and will run away, something that he doesn't usually do because he adores his Daddy. Also, during weekends, when we are driving, he will usually cry when we are on the road leading to his childcare centre. He even memorises the route!
Actually we enrolled him there with the hope that he will mingle with the other kids and since the curriculum is not so rigid, it will be good for him. But I remember once my sister told me that when she went there to pick him up earlier than normal, the children were at the playground. All the kids were playing happily there and my sis couldn't spot him among them... And then my sis saw him... alone.. at the side of the playground, playing with leaves..... When my sis told me that, the image of him just tugged my heart. I felt like calling the teachers and scolding them for not encouraging him to play with the others, for letting him be like that but I decided not to make a big fuss.
I know that there are other kids there and the teachers need to look out for them. I guess that since Rayyan was not in any danger, the teachers let him be. That's the problem... as long as he is quiet and not in danger, the teachers let him be but really, that is not doing him any good.
The thing with child care centres is that their main priority is to teach the children independence but I don't think Rayyan is ready for that yet. But looking at the bright side, there is one thing that he learned there... to sit quietly and eat his lunch. My sis has spotted him several times eating with the other kids. The teachers said that initially, he would cry and wouldn't want to join the other children at the table but now he can sit quietly and concentrates on finishing his lunch. My sis even took a photo and I was so proud of him when I saw the photo!
Meanwhile... the search continues to find the suitable learning centre for him...
