Gymbo Stamp Please

To our devoted family members out there, I am going to try something a little different. I am going to try to write more frequently. I know I say this almost every post. This time I truly do hope I mean it. I'd love to share ideas about activities with my working mom friends in the area, as well as post my thoughts on what it means to be a parent and teacher during this time of my life. And boy do I have a lot of thoughts. I hope you'll continue reading as I hope to continue writing.
Sincerely,
Tabitha

If I Can't Stand On It, I'll Sit

For the past several months Edmund, Steven, and I have been attending Gymboree Play and Music of Durham. Gymboree is such a stereo-typical middle class parent thing to do, but I have to say we absolutely love it. This summer our location offered a special allowing us to try a variety of classes within the month for the price of one. Generally this wouldn't have thrilled me because places like this seem to cater to stay-at-home moms, which would mean I wouldn't be able to take advantage. However, our Gymboree recently started offering Sunday afternoon classes in addition to Saturday classes, so we more than got our money's worth. Not to mention having free-gym options on scorching afternoons when Steven is on-call has been nothing short of a life saver. Normally we attend a Gym Play and Learn Class, but today we decided to try the new Family Music offering.

The music class didn't take place in the large gym room, so I thought Edmund would freak out. "You mean you brought me to Gymboree and I'm not playing in the gym." To my surprise he went with the flow, which is not how he usually rolls these days. When we entered the class, our teacher Ms. Julie, had two large drums set up. It wasn't long before Edmund was banging away and trying to stand on the drums (which we quickly tried to discourage). Edmund was definitely the most active child in this particular group, but the teacher had enough planned to keep him engaged. This month's theme is tropical islands, so we learned a song called Hawaiian Rainbow. On a side note, for me tropical islands takes my mind to the television show "Lost." I don't watch TV often, but got Netflix and watched the entire series in a month. Now my brain is on Lost overload, so I will do my best to remember this theme was in no way intended as a tribute to the castaways. Back to reality. I forgot the words to Hawaiian Rainbow promptly, but Edmund remembered and filled me in on the car ride home. He is quite the singer these days. After a few rounds of the tropical song and island themed dancing complete with bubble blowing, Ms. Julie brought out a "magic box" of instruments. Some of the instruments were "kiddie" in nature. Others were instruments more akin to something you'd find in the percussion section of an orchestra and a ton of fun. I think I had more fun with the instruments than Edmund. As the other kids made haphazard choices as they pulled from the box, Edmund was very deliberate in his decision to grab a handled drum and mallet. Then the banging ensued. At the end of the class one woman told her husband who had come to pick her and her son up from class "you should have seen Edmund, Larry. He is quite the drummer." I'm glad she saw it that way, as I was too busy trying to shield Edmund's classmates from flying mallets. OK it wasn't that bad, but Edmund can get a bit carried away in his drumming.

I must admit the music class is not very different from what I do with the 2 year olds in my preschool class on a day-to-day basis. "Why cough up all that money for an experience we can have for free daily?" At the music class I was actually able to enjoy sharing music with Edmund sans interruptions. There were no squabbles to break up, poopy diapers to change, or noses to wipe mid-song. The parents took full responsibility for their children, so we could be in the moment. We probably won't sign up for an official music class once the special runs out, but we'll take advantage while we can. When the music class concluded we let Edmund loose for free-play in the gym, which is now offered on Sundays. Edmund loves exploring the ramps and slides, and for a child with a minor gross motor delay, Gymboree is just the ticket. Maybe later we'll take advantage of the more structured, gymnastics based "Little Gym" down the road, but until the simple Gymbo the Clown stamp loses its allure, we'll be heading to Gymboree.

Location/Contact Information:
Gymboree of Durham / Chapel Hill 3515 Witherspoon Blvd Suite 101
Durham,North Carolina 27707
(919) 419-3150
durhamnc@gymboreeclasses.com