Preschool Days Have Returned

Two years and ten months have gone by so fast. It seems like just yesterday we welcomed these two little ones into this world but at the same time we do remember a lot of the trials they presented. In our eyes the twins new school is a true preschool. Where the kids can’t be dropped off and left all day till the parents get off work at 6pm. The school shuts down at 2pm, eliminating the parents who like to drop their kids off at school when they are sick, so they can go to work or get a break caring for the sick. 

Now, I know I should not preach about something that I might not know anything about. But at our eldest’s old preschool, parents got away with murder because the staff was so caring about the kids. As a parent I have to draw the line when I see a child who has just been dropped off, looking pale and sleepy eyed and walks over to the circle time carpet or couch to lay down and fall asleep. These kids should never have left the house. Yes, the teachers handled it professionally but the child's parent, who later explained to me, they had to attend a meeting for 2-3 hours and couldn’t deal with the sick child. That’s when my guard rails come down and I ended up yanking paley from class. I may be overreacting but I've seen my child get really sick along with the rest of the class and the teachers just because a kid was there just an hour. I've also seen kids camped out in the school directors office for hours because the parent said it would take a while to return to pick the child up, sometimes show up more than two hours later. 

I do feel for the parent to a degree but there are times when you know your child is so sick that they should not leave their bedroom, let alone the house. Preschool for new parents is  a learning curve of the years to come with schooling. Parents natural defense is they know what expect because they remember what it was like when we were at that age or we remember what our parents remember. The truth is, each parents experience is different because every child is different. That first year in preschool taught us a lot about hygiene and cleanliness. Preschool introduced our house to such plagues as Lice, Scabies, Hand Foot Mouth, Strep, Scarlet Fever, Pink Eye and so much more. Sadly we caught all but 1 of these little gifts. Hand sanitizer is your friend for most of little bugs, and when in doubt, skip washing hair for a day or two.

We are excited for this new school because not only is it a great environment for the kids but it’s a whole new world for us as a family. Paley was 6 months younger than the twins when she started Preschool. Was it too early for her, if you had asked me that question on day 1 & 2, I would have said “yes”. By the end of her first week, she was settled in and didn’t cry again when we dropped her off. I suspect the twins will be different from Paley. Lochlan might be a little apprehensive but judging from their first two visits to the school, they are more than excited to go to school. Let just say they are beyond ready. 

Let see what day one brings for the little tikes!