Cooper started Preschool today

[BarefootMom]

I don't know what to do with myself! My oldest started Preschool today and I am counting down the time to go get him. I am a nervous wreck. He has never been to daycare and has never been anywhere for very long without me or someone he knows. I am so afraid that he is upset. He looked so scared when I left him.

 

[arabianequine]

He will be just fine...he will have so much fun and make new friends. He will start to learn tons

He sure is a cutie....look at those eyes.

 

[pbjmaker]

He is incredibly cute! I work for a preschool and we have been doing home visits all day. I'm so excited for the incoming class! I showed him to the teacher I work with and she said she loves the classroom it looks really nice!

I hope he has a great year and he will be fine!

 

[Glenmar]

I think he looks great. You are just worried.

 

[BarefootMom]

I guess we will have to see. I went to pick him up and he was standing on the other side of the room with tears rolling down his face. All the other kids were playing. He saw me and said lets go home now. I feel like it is my fault because I am a SAHM and he doesn't know how to act around other kids. There usually aren't other kids at the park when we go and we don't go anywhere that cost money (like big play areas) because we just can't afford it.

He said he doesn't want to go back

He said he didn't talk to any of the other kids

he said they didn't play at all.

His teacher wasn't talkative at all- she just said hi please sign him out and we will see you tomorrow. sigh.

 

[Matthew3590]

I remember my first preschool days. I cried for 10 minutes after my mom left.

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
OK that makes me kind of sad - while teachers don't have time to chat with every parent for 20 minutes at the end of the day, she still should have told you how long he had been crying and what she had done to comfort him. Is he in a half day or all day program?

 

[BarefootMom]

Quote:
OK that makes me kind of sad - while teachers don't have time to chat with every parent for 20 minutes at the end of the day, she still should have told you how long he had been crying and what she had done to comfort him. Is he in a half day or all day program?

half day and there are only 7 kids in his class, so I felt like she could have talked to me. but she didn't.

 

[Keltara]

I hope you don't mind me giving you my 2 cents, but I just can't bite my tongue with this issue. When I was a child (I'm 45 years old now), there was no pre school. We started school in kindergarten. Kindergarten......when we were 5 years old. I'm a stay at home mom as well. I have 2 girls. My oldest daughter went to pre school when she was 4. In my opinion, it was a TOTAL waste of money. It was nothing more than a glorified day care situation a few times a week. My husband insisted she go to pre school because she was so "attached" to me. She, unlike your son, didn't have an issue when I left. She enjoyed being around the other kids. It bothered me though. I didn't feel (and still don't), that "pre school" is necessary. Many children just aren't ready developmentally to be taken away from mommy. Especially children who have not been in daycare settings prior to pre school. There is NOTHING wrong with keeping him home with you if he's unhappy being away from you. If it is hurting you to be away from him as well, then by all means pull him out. My younger daughter did not go to pre school. I felt it was a waste and I would rather she be in the loving arms of mommy all day rather than a setting filled with strangers. Babies do not need to go to pre school in order to learn how to be in kindergarten. Go with your instinct and don't let anyone make you think it is necessary to "prepare him for kindergarten". Your little boy will mature more over the next year until kindergarten. Hold on to him as long as you can. ❤

❤

You said you felt it was because of you that he wasn't happy and playing with the other kids. No honey. He's just not ready. The look on his face in that picture tells it all. There is no better place when a child is that young, than to be with his mommy and his baby sissy. ESPECIALLY a mommy like you. No better place!

It really bothers me that the teacher didn't have much to say to you about the situation. To me, that is a red flag. If it were me, I'd be pulling him out. Oh it just makes me so mad that society is trying to take our kids away from us so quickly!

Erin, I have looked over your blog. You have WAY more to offer that boy in his own backyard and own home than any pre school can give him.

If you decided to give it a go at the school, here's a suggestion. Stay with him little in the beginning when you drop him off, and then come back sooner than you did last time (and let him know that you will come back earlier this time). Make his stay shorter and if he starts doing better, then progressively extend the time. But deep down in my heart, I know that the best place for Cooper is with YOU until kindergarten.

Good luck with your decision making.

FYI...I'm following your blog by email and I signed up to be a follower.

Blessings!
~Kelly~
✿My Country Chronicles Blog✿

 

[marlowmanor]

The biggest reason for preschool is for the child to learn how to socialize with children his age. I have taught in daycare/preschools and have my degree in Early Childhood Education. One of the important things they need before starting kindergarten is the knowledge of how to socialize with children their own age. The teacher not telling you how long he had been crying or even how his day was is wrong. Did she at least give you a daily sheet about his day? Even something as simple as what he ate, what he did, how long he napped would be sufficient. You can still be s SAHM with him, but it would benefit him to have social interaction with kids his age. Do you have friends or neighbors with kids close to his age he could have playdates with? I'm a SAHM myself right now and I have the added challenge of preparing my oldest for kindergartedn next year. He knows a lot already from being in daycare when I had a job, but there are some things I need to work on with him. My ODS is very social, but he has 2 younger brothers to play with and has been in a daycare setting before as well. If it was me, I'd try to talk to the teacher the next time you take him to preschool and let her know that you would like to know how his day went. If she is a good teacher she will appreciate your discussion. Try telling her things he is interested in as well so she has thngs that will catch his attention and get him involved with the classroom. I know from experience it can take a week or 2 sometimes for a child to adjust to teh classroom setting, especially one who has been home with parents mostly.