who likes Music Doug?

I've got tennis elbow. Not that I play tennis. I'm going to physical therapy and doing what I'm supposed to do but it does make typing on the blog kind of difficult, which is why I've been a little absent here lately. Just to let you know.

Frances goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Thursdays Music Doug comes to their class and sings and plays the guitar. One day a few weeks ago Frances's teachers talked to me after class about how anxious Frances gets when Music Doug comes to play. Apparently as soon as they say, "let's clean up because Music Doug is coming," she cries and ask for her paci and says she wants to go outside. So we started talking about it at home. She doesn't have the language yet to tell me why she doesn't like the man. I still don't know why. The teachers thought that maybe it's the guitar but that's not it; the teacher in our Music Together class plays the guitar and Frances actually goes up and strums it at the end of class. Her teachers insist that he's a very nice fella and I'm sure he is.

Last week on Wednesday night as I put her to bed I said, "you have school tomorrow," and she said, "Music Doug?" "Yes, Music Doug will be there tomorrow," I said. "Cece read books?" she asked. I thought at first she was asking to read more books at that moment, but what she was saying was that she wanted to read books while Music Doug was there. The previous Thursday, I'd been told, one of the teachers with her sat at a table across the room from the music circle and did puzzles and read books. At first she wouldn't even look over to where the kids were; since then she does watch the singing and sometimes sings quietly to herself--a lot of progress from their perspective.

This morning on the way to school she asked if Music Doug would be there and I said yes. "No like Music Doug," she said. I asked why (yet again) but all she could tell me was, "Carson like Music Doug. Sophia like Music Doug. Cece no like Music Doug." She's always had strong opinions. Always. I still have no idea what this one is about, but it's interesting to see her reveal some of her inner life, some of what she experiences away from me. It's also interesting that she recognizes that other kids in the class like him fine; that she's allowed her own opinions separate from theirs. And watching a two year old develop language and social skills and personality is kind of like getting to know someone new; although I've known her for a long time now, I feel like she's a new friend and I'm learning who she is and what she's like. It's rather a good time.