Friday, July 9, 2010

Confession Number 47: I'm Torn

In about 6 weeks my little "big girl" will turn 3.  3!  When did this happen?  How has she gone from infancy to Miss. Independence in what feels like a blink of an eye?  I love her birthday.  I love planning her party and finding the perfect gift for her.  She's old enough to pick her own theme for her birthday party now, and in true Kennedy fashion she has chosen to have a princess party.  Is anyone surprised? 

With this birthday comes some big parenting decisions, though.  She has the chance to go to preschool a couple of days a week this fall.  At first, I'm all for it.  Saying to myself, "She'll love it! She will get to do crafts and play with other kids.  It is perfect!" Then the doubt creeps into my mommy mind.  "Is she ready?  Is this me pushing her too fast?"  I think if her birthday were in June and not August this decision would be easier for me.  I ran across this article on Baby Center the other day and forwarded it on to Dustin.  It got us thinking, is she ready or are we ready?

At almost three KJ is 97% potty trained.  She's even starting to get the hang of holding it through the night.  In the last week we have had more dry nights than wet, but in the last week we have also pooped our pants twice.  So, does that mean she shouldn't go?  What if she has an accident at school?  I'm sure it will probably happen at some point, right?  Is that okay or should I keep her at home for another 5 months and send her after the first of the year until we are sure she won't have an accident?  Would being around the older kids help with this?

Another issue is naptime.  Our preschool doesn't nap and school is from 9-3.  KJ regularly misses a nap a week, and this week she hasn't gone to sleep during naptime twice.   Maybe she is telling me she is ready?  There are other days that she still naps for almost or over 2 hours. 

We would love for her to have the social interaction.  Remember, KJ hasn't been with a SAHM forever.  She spent the first two years of her life with Saint Marcie while I was crazy, workaholic mom.  She loved playing with the other kids at Ms. Marcie's and I'm sure she would love it all the same with Ms. Judy at The Academy.

Then there comes the Mommy Guilt.  I hate that guilt meter we all seem to have implanted in our heads.   If KJ heads off to preschool I will have 2 whole days at home by myself.  All alone.  That sounds wondrous and lonely all at the same time.  Am I pushing her into preschool so I can have time to myself or am I holding her back so I can have her all to myself?   So many questions.  Okay, all you moms out there, I'm needing some advice, so throw it at me!  Please!  Help!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Charlie! I LOVE your blog!! Well, I am a mom and a former Pre-K teacher, so I thought I would throw my opinion in... :) Could Kennedy go 2 mornings a week and leave after lunch? That way she could have interaction with other kids her age, do crafts etc. To me, 3 years old is pretty young for the "whole day" in a school setting (no nap etc). Don't rush the "growing up" it will get here before you know it...

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  2. It's either 2 full days a week or nothing. What is so confusing is that Grove Public Schools offer full day pre-K, which she will be able to do next year (but that is a whole other post), but they DO take naps. Not real sure she will go to Grove next year, or if we want to keep her in a private school setting (calm down all of you public school advocates out there...I have my reasonings which I will share later). I'm thinking maybe we should try it for a few weeks, then I can always pull her out if I need to. Right?

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  3. Charla, I think she'll be just fine. She's -going to Mother's Day Out already, right? Some MDO's are already 9-3, and even if they give naps, the kids don't get the long nap they are used to. She'll adjust those two days.

    On the other hand, if you feel better about keeping her home, it's not like she's going to be "behind" because she didn't have two days of Pre-K each week when she was 3.

    I really think this is one of those things that you can't mess up. Either decision will work out just fine.

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  4. Charla, you are teaching that sweet girl so much more than you realize every day and the things you're teaching her are the foundation of all the other things she'll learn in school and in life. It's evident even in her pictures that KJ oozes self-confidence and is well-loved. You can't go wrong either way in my opinion, but the memories you're making with her in this season of your lives will beome even sweeter with time. Unless she's just really pushing for the preschool thing, I'd put it off a little while...just my thoughts. Whatever you do, it'll be the right thing.

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