I was trolling around the Internets and decided to play “Thursday Thirteens” but what to write about? I decided it would be fun to capture some of the mystery and magic surrounding Holden’s first (transitional) week of preschool… some of the stuff that will be so old hat in a couple months.
- Who will open his lunchbox at lunch? I like to assume he won’t just sit there crying.
- Will he learn to ride a trike before the bigger kids mow him down on the yard? Does he care or is that just me?
- Will I learn to change a poopy diaper while he is standing (like the teachers can)? Do I have to do this in order to reinforce all that good (included with the price of admission) potty learning? I feel like I need a headlamp, a hose a can of compressed air, and a box of Q-tips to do it without just flipping him over on a changing table.
- How can we possibly learn how to get out of the house together in the morning? This is a big concern once I start working and when Milo needs to start eating breakfast.
- The different age classes are named for animals with no apparent rhyme or reason. How am I going to learn all that preschool lingo in time? Is it “slug” before “sloth”? And, really, I guess it doesn’t matter if Holden knows and I don’t and he has to teach me, right?
- How can a single adult be responsible for the health and happiness of four to six kids when I struggle with my two? What’s wrong with me?
- What happens if I forget to sign him out again? How does this whole drop off pick up thing work? It looks so smooth as an outsider. Am I an insider now? When will I feel like an insider?
- Will he be too hot for nap now that I’ve gotten him the totally wrong kind of sleeping bag? I got him the one for 45+ camping rather than 67+ communal naproom sleeping. And how soon will Alec let me buy a new one?
- Will his placebo lovey (“new Leonard”) and pacifier do the trick for his debut at public napping? I can’t wait for Holden to master the “sleeping on a mat on the floor” skill but I’m skeptical.
- Do I really have to label everything? I like labeling on a normal day but now I feel like I need to Sharpie his belly before I send him off in the morning.
- Is he going to pick up a slew of new and bad habits from the alpha boys and girls in his class?
- Since I’m sending Milo to the same place (starting next week), will I be able to survive the two-small-person size hole in my heart?
- Will he still love me best?
I love it. Wow so thought out. You inspire me to do a thoughtful TT next week! I did funny this week. Have a great TT!
And my biggest question: how in the hell am I supposed to pack a lunch for my picky eater given her preschool’s peanut butter ban?
The labeling thing is making me nutty. Also, how am I supposed to bring cupcakes for the class to celebrate the Peach’s 3rd birthday when we have an egg-white ban (in addition to the pb)? How many more days will she cry that she doesn’t want to go home at the end of the day – that preschool is more fun than school and her teachers more fun than mom and dad? When will that stop feeling like a stab in my heart?
it always broke my heart as a teacher to have kids cry that they wanted to stay in school…they dont love us more i promise, we are just the new shiny toy, we’ll get old soon and then the kiddo will cry that they dont want to come to school cause it’s so boring.
i hate the pb ban! it was so hard when i was prego! try almond butter etc- or apple butter hmm apple butter. i cant remember what can be substituted for egg whites maybe a friendly neighborhood vegan could help with that one…
Hi there. Almond butter isn’t safe when nut allergies are the concern but you may want to look into Sun Butter (www.sunbutter.com) for an alternative. For cupcakes, try http://www.divvies.com – that’s what we are doing for our daughter’s third birthday. At home we use Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes. I know it’s a bummer but think about how hard it is when it’s your kid with the allergies. Feeding toddlers and preschoolers can be hard enough without having to constantly worry about food safety. When I drop my kiddo off at preschool I have the added worry that she may be exposed to nuts and have a possibly fatal anaphylactic reaction. Our world feels so unsafe and I’m striving to give her as normal a life as possible. I feel so bad that she has to be “that kid” with the epi pen always nearby. Meanwhile she’s starting to develop some wierdness about eating food away from home, worried that it isn’t safe even if I assure her it is. Trust me that all parents of kids with food allergies would give anything to have a kid that could safely be around (or better yet – eat) the standard PB&J of our childhoods. I would love for her to be able to eat a friend’s birthday cake, grandma’s cookies, restaraunt food wihout fear. Of course I wish she could safely trick-or-treat too! Actually, until her first terrifying reaction, I lived on pb, nuts, etc. for protein since I don’t eat meat. You better believe that I miss it (especially during pregnancy). Everyday we say “why us?” and remind ourselves that it could be worse …
Change a poopy diaper while he is standing? They must have some sort of bizarre multi-tasking skills. That just sounds dangerous.lol
[...] just reread my post from last August about the 13 things that confused me about preschool, and I’m happy to report that after one year, things are much much [...]
Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I’ve mastered all these topics. I am ready to graduate (preschool).