Once we moved closer to town it became a possibility to send him, and things worked out for him to start this fall. As the time drew near I got excited about the new experience. Getting him a backpack, school clothes and signing him up was all fun….although Cooper wasn't as enthused about the details. But he did speak fondly of the day when he'd start preschool and really liked the backpack.
On Parent Orientation night we learned about the program and the teachers and signed up to help with a party and field trip, how exciting!
Cooper's teacher also came out to visit him before he started, to see him on his own turf. He talked to them about his trains (almost couldn't get him away from the train table while they were there), showed off his machines and gave them the details about each one, told them the names of all his pets and horses and more. I was happy he was talkative and friendly. The teacher's aide that came too said "He's got a great personality! He's not shy at all." And I thought to myself…you just wait. The most comical part of the visit came prior to their arrival. They called to let us know they were on their way and Cooper beat me to the phone. In fact he'd been talking for a bit before I even realized he was on the phone (I was busy straightening the house.) I got on the phone and told them we'd see them soon. When I hung up Cooper said "I told them they could come over….we cleaned the house and it's ready." Great!!!
The Thursday before he was to start we went to meet the teacher. He talked to the teachers again, saw where he'd be sitting, his cubby and spot for circle time. He also got to play with his new classmates. He had a great time and I had to drag him away from the play kitchen…a big hit with the boys.
He started school Sept 2nd, the day after Labor Day. He was excited and wanted to carry his lunchbox and backpack by himself. We took a couple pictures at home and then drove to school. I was a little sad to see him this big, but excited for him because I knew he'd love it.
When I dropped him off he was a little more reserved and nervous but he went to his seat and started playing blocks with his friend. I said goodbye and headed out with all of the other moms. The other two boys and I went to the park to play with their friends, then got lunch and headed home. 2:30 came quickly and I loaded up two tired boys and headed back in to town. Of course Ace wanted to get out too, so we all got out and went in to get Cooper.
He was excited to see us and told Ace (while giving him a hug) "I missed you Ace!" It was a sweet moment. On the way home we stopped for frozen yogurt to celebrate. It was a good treat and we all were glad for the coolness because it was hot outside!
After yogurt I asked Cooper how his day was and what they did. His response was "Too much for words" and that playing outside was his favorite and napping was not. But overall he seemed to have fun. He did say that no one would play with him at play time. My heart hurt for him and I tried to keep a happy face as I told him to just go play by himself or with someone else. (Honestly he probably wanted to play trucks - acting like he's a truck - and no one wanted to join in his uniqueness.) It was one of the first times I felt super defensive for my boy because someone else had turned him down….not a fan of that feeling.
Wednesday morning when I dropped Cooper off, another mom of one of the girls in his class stopped me and asked if I was Cooper's mom. I said yes and she said "My daughter came home yesterday and said she was going to marry Cooper." So funny! Cooper had talked about this girl, saying she was as fast as he was on the playground. Popsey picked him up because I had to be somewhere and Cooper really enjoyed that. He got to hang out at Popsey's office too, a bonus. That evening he told me that he wanted Popsey to pick him up everyday.
Thursday we forgot to send Horsey for nap time and he was apparently upset. He'd also skinned both his knees on the playground, so he had a rough day. I was ready to scoop him up when I saw him as my Mommy heart was hurt that he was having a bad day. But by the time that I picked him up that afternoon he was happy.
The second week of preschool was a little more difficult for the Coopster. He was reluctant to go to class and clung to me a bit. I was sad and relieved at the same time, to be honest. I was sad that he wasn't enjoying the experience that I thought he would love. And I was relieved because it wouldn't be as much of an issue to take away this and homeschool when the time comes. In fact, he's been telling me he's ready to homeschool…we are doing phonics at home. Also, this has been super hard on me and the little ones. I thought it would be nice to have only two kiddos for a bit, but it's a bad tradeoff when I have to load them all up twice a day, and one of those times is nap time so someone is cranky by the end of the day. As the dinosaur says in Meet The Robinsons "I don't think you thought this plan through very well."
See he's not missing as much as he thinks, just playing in the grass!
Thursday was the worst of the drop offs. He didn't cry, but moped and mumbled instead of bouncing on into the room. Luckily Mere Mere was picking him up that day so that was what I used to get him to stay and get to work. I left feeling a little down because this situation is stressing me out a little.
I texted his teacher later on to see if he was happier or still mopey and she called me. Never a good sign…. She said that his mopiness comes and goes. He's very slow to get his morning work done because he says it's boring and he wants to go home. He even told her "my mom says this is boring and that I don't have to do it." I can't believe he'd lie like that….oh wait, yes I can. She said they talk him through it and he gets his work finished. Then he'll be happy and then melt down again and cry for home. He'll say "I just want to be home with my Mommy and brothers." I had to fight back tears on the phone when I heard that one. But then she said he also said "I just need to check on my machines." Hmmm, so he's picturing Ace at home playing with his beloved machines and that's making him nervous. Silly boy! I told her our feelings, that we wanted him to have the experience but aren't desperate to have him at preschool and told her I'd continue to encourage him and tell him to obey the teacher. That afternoon when Mere Mere dropped him off he was happy and positive, including the crying in his daily report without missing a beat.
He thinks he's the boss man.
Not sure why he would rather do this than sit in a classroom all day. ; )
So now we are just waiting a little longer to see how he feels and then we'll decide if we are going to continue through May or pull him out early. Because I did this for his benefit, thinking he'd love it, I'm not worried about making him stay. However, we want to teach him perseverance and don't want to pander to him if he just doesn't want to obey and follow instructions. In his defense he knows pretty much all of what they are talking about (ABCs, colors, shapes, numbers). But I would like for them to teach him all of that crafty stuff that I'm not into, and work on handwriting.
It's so funny how life works. I was so ready to move closer to town so that I had lots of access to everything, including the store, school, park, and other activities. But now all I want to do is slow down, retreat and raise my kids and stay at home more, without feeling obligated to join everything.
I'll keep you updated about what we decide.
"Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them….If you seek the Lord your God, you wil find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deut 4:9,29
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