Two months ago, I was so delighted with the idea of my oldest starting kindergarten, and my youngest going to preschool two mornings a week, that I basically sang while I spoke about it.
Eeeeight hours alooooone each weeeekkk!!!
Then my oldest started kindergarten three weeks ago, and my youngest and I suddenly had some time together, just he and I. It felt like I was meeting him for the very first time. It amazed me that he already had so many thoughts and opinions on the things in his life. He also started speaking so much more, and so much more clearly. (My daughter is a chronic over-talker, she only stops talking when she falls asleep).
It was a whole new world for me and my little man. So, yesterday I decided that preschool can wait. This year, I’m giving my littlest a whole year of mommy to himself. I can’t wait to see how he grows over this next year, what he learns, and the little person he becomes.
On a separate note…. how on earth is my daughter already old enough to be in kindergarten? She just turned five at the end of June, but kindergarten in our district started July 11th because we are year-round. So far she seems to be doing amazingly well, but I’m not going to act like I don’t still feel like it’s wrong to drop her off at school and leave her for 7.5 hours. Watching her tiny little feet walk down the big bus steps in the afternoon. Hearing her talk about new friends, and people teasing her for this and that. It’s all very emotional for me, since I never liked school, even kindergarten. I’m glad she’s enjoying it, but I do worry that school is going to rob her of some innocence that could have been kept for longer if I had had the ability (mentally) to home-school.
I guess the point of this parenting business is that you never actually know the best thing to do. You just have to trust your gut and keep your own insecurities in check so that they don’t rub off on your kids. E loves school, S loves being home. So, right now they are both thriving, and that’s good.
Wifey, Mommy, and What Have You 