LPP officially starts preschool next month. I just registered him this week, after receiving a call that he was off the wait-list and there was a seat available for him. The school is within walking distance from our house and is a full-day program (8:30 - 2:30), M-F. He will have to wear a uniform. I took LPP with me to register and when the assistant principal opened the door to the school, LPP ran off down the block, stopping midway and staring me down, a look of distrust in his eyes. "A little separation anxiety," I explained to the assistant principal, covering my embarrassment with a little laugh. I had to run down the block and physically pick LPP up, holding tight lest he squirm out of my arms with his wiggling protest. In my excitement, I hadn't foreseen this reaction. However, once I managed to coax him inside, he settled down and warmed up, eventually playing with two other children whose mothers were seated at a round table, also filling out paper work. And then suddenly, all three children were running around the table, which personally, I didn't see as problematic; it freed us parents up to concentrate on the paperwork and gave the children an outlet to release their building energy. Unfortunately, the assistant principal didn't share my view, and gently grabbed LPP and told them all, "No running." She was firm, but nice about it, reminding LPP that I would be done soon and he would be able to run all day long with his Mommy. I finished up the registration and took LPP home, a little nervous about the impression he may have made on the assistant principal, and wondering how he will behave in a preschool situation.
My prevailing feeling about LPP attending preschool is excitement. I am excited that he will have the opportunity to meet and interact with other children his age, and that he will be in an environment where he will (hopefully) be challenged and introduced to new ideas and subjects. I am excited that I will also have a little more time to attend to my own needs - catching up on sleep is what immediately comes to mind.
However, I am slowly coming to the realization that while preschool means more time to myself, it also means more time apart from my LPP. Which makes my excitement a little bittersweet. There will be another schedule to consider now and I won't be able to just grab LPP and go off into the city in the middle of the day. We won't be able to take a day trip on a Monday, my one consistent day-off, because he will have school. It's not like we've been taking day trips, but it was nice to know that we could. Vacations (what are those?) will now need even more advance planning. I will have some time in the afternoons between school and my leaving for work to do something with him. But compared to having mostly all day, it will be quite a difference. And I work on the weekends.
"A little separation anxiety," I explained. Yes indeed.
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