Parenting Toddlers

Well, that’s an awfully dramatic title, isn’t it? Alas, I think my little Peanut is a preschooler now. Well, a preschool-age child, anyway. She has been talking about preschool for months. I’m not exactly sure what she thinks preschool is, but she really really wants to go. She wants to play with other kids and be a “grown up kid.” So for months, I’ve been saying to her, myself, and others that I just had to call and set up an appointment. Soon, I’ll do that soon. So today, we were taking a walk and she mentioned it again. I went home and called the local school. My phrasing while on the phone with them may indicate my attitude towards preschool “Hi, is it too late to register my daughter for preschool?” Darn, might have to wait until next year! But no, it was not too late at all. In fact, it was good that I called because they were having screenings on June 8. So we’re set up to get get screened for preschool.

I guess I didn’t really know what that meant. My best friend, who also used to write for this site, said they see how well they can cut, color, name their colors, etc. Good Lord. That’s my baby. Being screened. So if we get into preschool (which I think we have to, right? It’s a public school but preschool isn’t mandatory in our state), she will go in the fall. I will march her up to the door and LEAVE HER THERE. There are only a handful of people I have ever left Peanut with. I’m a bit freaked out. What if she gets scared? What if she has a total mental breakdown? What if her teacher is mean to her? (I’ve never met a mean preschool teacher, but hey, a mom imagines the worst.) What if some kid is mean to her? What if I just miss her? And that school is huge. It’s bigger than my high school. Yes, I know they keep the preschoolers away from those big huge eighth graders, but still. The building itself is enormous.

Peanut seems to have a very mature attitude about this. I don’t know their policy on stuffed animals. She and Bo go everywhere together. So I asked what if her teacher did not want her to bring Bo. She calmly replied that she’d keep him in her backpack during school. Ok. What if you get scared? “I’ll be fine.” And her added reassurance to me, “I’ll come back.”

You know what will happen? I’ll be “excited” when it’s the first day of school. On the night before, we’ll pick out an outfit to wear and get her backpack all set. Then we’ll go to the school, and she won’t be able to wait to go. She may be a little scared when I leave, but once I’m out the door, she’ll be fine. And then I’ll go home with the Little Guy and vow to never let that one get away.