Mommy and Me Class

As an adoptive parent learning about developmental milestones has always been a backwards practice for me. I never saw any of my kids take their first steps or say their first words and I never went to a Mommy and Me class. Well that was until last week.

My daughter Evangeline is the baby of the family, but not about to take a back seat when it comes to fun and activities. Seeing her big sisters in their lessons she wanted to be like them so I enrolled her in a gymnastics class. On the first day we arrived I was informed that this was a Mommy and Me class. Since I had never been to a class like this before it was going to be a new experience for both of us.

At the first class my daughter was a little shy and timid, but by the third class there was no holding her back. She would run on the balance beam, swing on the rings then flip over the parallel bars. She enjoyed the power she had to decide what activities she wanted to try and loved even more telling Mommy to “Hurry Up.” I got to watch her conquer her fears and acquire new skills. To see her learn to wait her turn and to interact with her peers. But ultimately to bond with her in a way that would not have happened without this class.

At every class the kids took turns jumping on the big trampoline while the parents sat around them singing the ABC’s. When it came to Evangline’s turn she would jump with a giant smile on her face then look directly at me and shout “MOMMY I LOVE YOU!” Her happiness couldn’t be contained and after that moment neither could mine. In that moment I “got it” why Mom’s sign up for swimming lessons with their babies and Mommy and Me Yoga. It’s not in the hopes to create a child prodigy or to show off that their baby is better than everyone else’s, but to bond with their child in a fun structured environment. If you have a younger child I urge you to spend the money and take your child to at least one Mommy and Me Class. I wish I could’ve had the experience with all of my children.