Thinking About School

Ummm...do you think she's ready for preschool? It could be the developmental stage that she's in, but lately we've been doing a WHOLE LOT of packing and unpacking various bags and backpacks. Guess where we have to go looking for Simon's flip flops on a daily basis??? I managed to transition this pretend play from "getting ready for baby to go to the playground" to "getting ready for me to go to school." Millie starts preschool in a few weeks and she seems, so far, to be really looking forward to it. She lines up all of her rocking chairs and ikea stools into rows and makes Simon and me ride her bus to school. She also likes for all of us to sit in a circle when we read books (as opposed to the usual pile on Mommy's lap). We've been doing some "drive-bys" of the church where her school is held (mainly we do this because it is in the same neighborhood as my drive-thru Starbucks...convenient, eh?).

Believe me, I am under no illusions that this is anything much more than structured playtime away from mom for a couple of hours a week. I'm not looking to have her learn multiplication tables or science experiments. I'm excited for her to do lots of art projects, to grow to love and trust her teachers, and to learn how to share and get along with her classmates. Not gonna lie: I'm also pretty excited about the little break I'll get every Tuesday & Thursday morning and the time it's going to afford me for some one-on-one activity with Simon.

I do secretly hope, however, that this little bit of time twice a week might create some breathing room in me. Might give me renewed energy. I don't know how to explain it without sounding ungrateful: I hope this space might give me some perspective on how short my time is with these kids. This fact is something I know on an intellectual level but sometimes lose track of in the day-to-day chaos of life at home with two little ones. I found this blog a while back and I check in on it every so often. When I read this entry, it just took my breath away: School Bus. I just got choked up again when I went to get this link.

So, I'm thinking of my friend Destiny who is sending her five year old off to Kindergarten today. I think of what my mom must have felt like to send me, her oldest, off and then again when my littlest brother, her last, went off to school. It's a transition I'd like to ease into if I can. I think the preschool next to the drive thru Starbucks sounds just about perfect!