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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Thinking of my little girl


I have a heavy heart right now. Taylor starts a new preschool today and I am anxious, nervous, scared, and excited all rolled into one.

Preschool has not been an easy road for us. The first year had lots of ups and downs, but one thing always remained, Taylor loved her teacher Miss Katie. She adored her, and that made those tearful drop-offs manageable.

Two weeks into what seemed like the start of a great year though, has turned into pure hell. She started sobbing the night before school during week 3, claiming, "I hate school (she has never used that word before). I want to go somewhere fun, somewhere better. I don't like my school." I said to her, "Taylor, school is not always going to be fun."

And then it dawned on me. She is 4. Why the hell should school not be fun for a 4 year old? Why should my 4 year old be miserable? Why should I be miserable?

I started looking at other options. Some told me that by pulling her out of her current school, I would be teaching her that it's okay to quit because we don't like something. True. I don't like quitting. BUT, I could also be teaching my daughter that her feelings are valid and I respect them enough to listen to them and try to alleviate any fears she may have.

Isn't that our job as parents? To protect them. To be advocates for them? I think so.

I prayed about it. I asked for God's direction in making a decision.

The next morning an email came from my dear friend Alessia that there was an opening at her daughter's preschool. I hadn't even talked to her about our issues. It was totally random and out of the blue.

I got the wheels in motion and arranged a visit first thing Monday morning.

The school looks great. It's non-academic and totally focused on learning through play. The teachers are child development experts and compassion and understanding ooze out of every pore of their body. You can tell they love their jobs. You can tell they love those children.
There is a community of parents that care too. It's a co-op so there are always 2 mommies in the classroom. I will get to be in the class once a month. There are monthly parent education meetings. I am hopeful.

I don't know what today is going to hold, or the next few weeks, but I will continue to pray that Taylor finds a safe haven in her new school and in time will learn to love school. That is the most I could ask for. I love my little girl so much. I want her to be happy. That's all for now.

3 comments:

  1. Andrea, I think you made a great choice! I too believe it's important to be their advocate and help them to feel comfortable...especially when you are not with them.

    What a neat experience about your prayer and the next morning getting that email. Thank you for sharing that!

    Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes!

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  2. The first day went great in my books. There were tears but the teacher totally acknowledged her feelings and then they went and wrote a letter to me. She said that calmed her down and then she had a great rest of the day. Taylor told her daddy after he picked her up "this school is much funner" haha! I love the grammar :) Last night the teacher wrote me an email letting me know how the day went which I thought was just amazing. Thanks for checking in!

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  3. Andrea, I applaud your choice to listen to your little girl. There is so much pressure for us to get our kids in "school" when they are 3, 4 or even 2! And if they don't like it they have to suck it up cause they have to be prepared for kindergarden. Kindergarden!?!?!?!
    Yes, learning should be fun. Soon enough it will be work and it will be hard, but at age 4, kids do most of their learning through play, so let her play!
    Good for you.

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