preschool...

PreSchool... ask any parent about that and you will get mixed feelings. For some preschool is a great start for their children, giving them a headstart on kindergarten and learning things essential to their everyday lives, like ABC's, 123's, sharing, and other important skills. For others preschool is an unnecessary thing for their children. The idea is rather silly as they can learn all that at home, right?

Well ask any little one like William and the answer is clear... Preschool is vital. In William's case he wants to go, infact he can't wait to go. He loves the thought of riding the school bus, coloring, making friends, learning, playing, and most of all just going to school. Preschool for him is going to be an entire experience to be enjoyed. The learning and growing he will go through is immense. We had visited the teacher and he had started to interact with the other children, okay starting to interact is an understatement, he just dove right on in to what they were doing, coloring, cleaning, playing, etc. She told me right away he would have no problems joining in and that he seemed like a very social child. Which all of that is correct.

For me, however, preschool is just one more of those things that takes him from being my "baby" to being my "big grown up boy".... I am not ready for him to go off to preschool and a lot of that is me not wanting to let go of my "baby" and the other is thanks go a special little girl.... Samantha... She never got the chance to go to preschool let alone kindergarten or anything else. She is the reason that I want to treasure every moment of William growing up... I don't want to miss anything. I want him to experience being 3 and 4. I hate the fact that he is just overwhelmingly excited over this new venture in his life. One that will lead him on to 12 more years of learning, growing, changing and ultimately figuring out who he is, what he feels is right and wrong, what his beliefs are, and ultimately showing me how I did as a parent.

I am sure that things will be interesting, full of laughs, tears, frustrations and celebrations. Right now my ultimate goal is making through his first day of preshool, droping him off, without crying or making a scene. Chances are I will cry, but hopefully not infront of him. School is a big thing whether it is preschool or kindergarten. When he was born in January 2005, I always pictured school being so far away, but now July 2008, I am looking at 1.5 more months of summer and freedom from schedules and hectic days, to a September where everything changes. My "baby" (as he will always be to me) will be heading off on a big new journey, sometimes rough, but full of surprises and I'm sure lots of new friends along the way..