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My Favorite Things

  • Naptime
  • Caffeine in various forms
  • Italy
  • The Beach
  • Family camping trips
  • The gym
  • Storytime at the Library
  • Rachael Ray
  • Running

Monday, March 19, 2012

Preschool Blues

Captain Destructo just turned 3 (help me, Lord). While I am celebrating the fact that she can now USE THE POTTY and do other exciting things such as insist on leaving the house wearing a dress, a tutu, 2 bracelets and a tiara, I am also realizing I need to start making a decision about preschool.

I don't know about you, but I don't remember preschool being such a big deal when I was little. I went when I was 4, but only because my mom taught there and needed something to do with my sister and I. We went to half-day kindergarten and we were fine. In fact, my kindergarten teacher wanted me to skip kindergarten. Booyah. Who was a tiny genius? This girl.

Anyway, it seems like there are 2 schools of thought on preschool around my area now. (1) Send kids to preschool, which has 2 sub categories: (a) send kids for a few half days a week, and (b) send kids full time.
(2) Homeschool preschool.

Maybe I'm terrible, or lazy, or whatever, but I really want to do none of those things. As September gets closer, I start getting itchy and stressed when I think about it. Captain Destructo is sweet and kind, and while she is a handful sometimes (particularly coupled with her wild child sister), I'm in no rush to send her off. This may be predicated by the fact that she turned 3 and said "I can't be 3, I don't want to go to preschool." And as for homeschooling preschool, despite the fact that I can't imagine how it would go trying to teach anything structured with our 1 year old wild child running around, I just don't know if I see the need to force her to sit down and do school work at this age. And then if I homeschool, I will have to grow my hair super long and wear long dresses and start making my own laundry soap, right?
But on the other hand, there's this worry that I'm doing her a disservice. If she gets to kindergarten, and the other students have had 2 years of preschool, will she be behind academically? Or worse, will she be totally overwhelmed by being in kindergarten for 6 hours a day and miss her mommy and cry and I won't be there and it will be terrible?

So that's where we are. Right now I'm pretty sure that she will stay with me next year, and maybe we'll do some academic type stuff, but maybe not. I'm going to keep having playdates and Bible class so she's around other kids, and pray that that's enough for her.

What do you do about preschool?