We had a big surprise the last week of August. I went to Eva's Open House for her preschool and was completely taken aback to learn that the teacher wanted Eva to start the next day. We had looked into preschools back in February when we needed childcare for Eva. Most of the preschools here start at two years, six months of age and you have to be potty trained. We put Eva on the wait list at Lakeside Montessori to start in November of 2011, which is when she will hit that magic number. At the open house, her teacher, Mrs. Bedi, wanted Eva to start right away rather than wait until November. Having been a teacher, I completely understood her rationale but I just wasn't quite ready to let her go. Preschool is such a big step for kids. So, I tried to put my heart aside and Eva's needs first and scrambled to find the list of essentials for preschool that afternoon.
We prepped Eva to the best of her ability that evening. I described the process to her so that she knew what to expect. "We pull up to the circle and the teacher will take you out of the car and walk you into school. Then, mommy will come back to pick you up in a few hours." Right away she knew something was up and asked, "You're not coming in?" When I said no, she just wasn't having it. The fateful day was full of tears on both ends for mom and Eva. She cried most of the time and asked the teacher to hold her. We were on vacation the first week of September so it was like starting all over again this week. The jury is still out as to whether it was the right decision. I keep telling myself, "it's only for a few hours a week" but I wonder if she's still too young. Let's hope it goes better this week!
