Okay, so Aria has been 3 for 7 months and change but for some reason, when I wrote "Age 3" on her sign, it just seemed so old. And when we loaded up the backpack and she put it on, she just looked so big! It is amazing how time flies!
This year for preschool we are doing a co-op with 5 other families from our church. The 6 moms have paired up and will take turns teaching and assisting our 3-year-olds once a week. To be completely honest, I have been wrestling with this "what to do about preschool" for quite some time. There are some great pros to the group we've started. The kids all know each other from church. The moms all know each other. Six is a great size for a group. We get to choose our activities and learning. The learning will vary from teacher to teacher so the kids will be exposed to a lot. But, I know Aria is ready for more preschool structure than just once per week. I know Aria needs to experience learning from someone besides me. I know Aria needs opportunities to be around other kids; to share with other kids; to learn how to interact with other kids. Another piece I can't quite come to terms with is should she be in more of a school setting to prepare her for the kindergarten school setting that is coming in less than 2 short years.
Recently we seem to be surrounded by people who are choosing to home school their children. I have learned that each family needs to make decisions about school that are best for their family and they are entitled to do that regardless of the opinions of others. However, I know we will not be home schooling and I feel like an island. While I have been able to brainstorm and bounce parenting questions off of many friends for the past 4 years, now I feel I don't have anyone to bounce on. This all has made for the quite the conversation in my own head and with God.
I certainly have not figured it all out. The wrestling match seems to be never ending, but there is one big piece I'm clinging to for this school year. This is it. The 11 month countdown has begun until Aria does attend some sort of preschool building at age 4. This year is a precious one for Aria and I at home together. We will do preschool lessons at home. We will do our preschool co-op. We will do music class, maybe try gymnastics, Little Praises, and many other learning activities. We will have a blast together and Aria will gain exposure to many different types of things.
And, most importantly, Aria will learn and grow through it all. Each piece will prepare her for life as it happens at 4, 5, and beyond.
She is only going to be 3 once, and not for much longer. I have the wonderful opportunity, thanks to my awesome husband, to stay home and spend every day with my daughter. We are certainly going to make the most of it! With our preschool co-op I know Aria will feel safe and enjoy preschool. I know I will gain many ideas from the other moms and also insight into how my child learns and interacts with a group. So much of what we do in life depends upon our attitude. I am choosing to stop wrestling with whether or not we made the right decision this year because we made it already and I know if my attitude is great, it will be great.
Besides, does it get any cuter than this?
No comments:
Post a Comment