1St Time Going to Preschool

Trust me, you won't be the 1st to tough it out and then let the tears flow once you're in the parkng lot, heck many of us couldn't even make it that far! It is tough leaving your 1st born for the first time; however, if he enjoys 'school', reading, crafts stuff, it will just be a matter of a few days of going and he will realize that this is a fun place to be and Mommy always returns when he is all done and you need to remember that he is going to get outside influences from here on out and that can be a great thing. It is hard, because you have to 'let go' a bit. It's like lettting the apron strings loose just a little bit. But it is all part of him growing up and becoming the little man you want him to be.
I think my 1st son cried for a little while the first few times, the teachers were awesome! they took him and stayed with him until he felt comfortable enough to go off and play on his own. and he would only cry for a very short time.
But do be prepared to have that heart wrenching feeling when and if he even cries. My 2nd son, after watching his big brother go, barely even remembered to give me a hug and kiss before he went bolting into the classroom - he was soooo ready! that almost broke my heart too, I almost felt like he didn't need me anymore.
anyway, i hope my ramblings comfort you somehow, knowing that other Mom's have the same feelings over this situation. I think just continuing to read books on going to school help alot. 'Froggy goes to School' is fun too. and the Berenstein Bears have a book for just about every topic imaginable, I'm sure there is a school one too! Probably a dentist one also...
He will be fine and think of all the new things he will learn, you will be so proud of him.

HI Again:

My husband and I actually own the Primrose School of Woodbury, we'll be opening this fall with programs for infants -- school age, including accredited Preschool! What we do is to ask the moms to tour our Primrose School (currently open) with their child, so that the child can join in the class with their parent -- or if this is not a possibility, at least to attend a parent meeting or activity with thier child. Then the few days before we open (the first day of school), we'll have a back to school night for the families and the children to get acquainted with their teachers, their classroom, and more. This helps when mom and dad are there to soften the anxiety for the child. (And, it might help mom some too to know that your baby is in good hands -- even though they're not yours.) Look for an accredited preschool with safety and security, along with education, as a top priority! Management and owners that are involved are a great thing! Somewhere with structure and systems in place for education, emergency, and attention to detail are key.

As for you ... this is going to be one of the most difficult things you've ever done ... every time I've left my children in someone else's care, it's been SO hard. I try to think that even though they aren't with me, they're getting something that I cannnot provide them; whether it's a great education, hours of fun with friends, independence, etc. This gets me through some of the time ... other times, simply gushing to my neighbor helps.

Good luck!
TH

I think it's harder on us mom's then the kids sometimes. In my case it was. I knew my daughter was in good hands and having fun and needed it. So I felt comfortable and at ease. My daughter was only gone for like 3 hours maybe which goes by really fast. After awhile you will love your break when your child goes. I'm almost embarassed to say this but hey were all mom's I cried my eyes out on the last day of preschool two years in a row and the last day of kindergarten. I was all emotional about my daughter growing up so fast and never having those teachers again that she grew to love to like so much and all her buddies she most likely wouldn't be in school with again. Then on her first day of kindergarten I expected to be a basketcase and cry I came home, sat on the couch and said aaaaahhhhhh.... and enjoyed my break from my child. That's how it effected me.

As far as my daughter. I really talk talk talk and talk to her about everything. I made it a privelage to go to preschool she had to have herself potty trained to go at 3 and so she had to accomplish that which made it a priveledge. Then we talked about it alot, drove past the school alot, showed up early on the first day to check things out and just made it a positive fun thing. I never once let her know I was nervous or anxious. She did fine and has never cried or not wanted to go. Her first year in preschool was one day a week. Then her second year of preschool was 2 days a week and I added extra curricular's in her life as well such as tumbling,teeball, swim lessons etc. So the following year when kindergarten hit she was used to group activites and leaving me for short periods of time. You could try some extra curriculars. I found most of ours at our local YMCA for pretty cheap.

Good Luck I'm sure your son will love preschool.

One thing that really helps my kids is having a "plan" before they go in. We set up a routine of things that happen in the same order so that they know what comes next. My older son had a really hard time when he started kindergarten and having a plan for him really helped. In the car, we'd talk about what he was going to do: get out of the car, wave to mommy, walk into the school, go to his classroom, hang up his coat, etc.

My daughter was in preschool last year (I'm keeping her home for now) and with both kids, a quick goodbye was important, too. If I lingered too long, the possibility of tears increased quite a bit! My daughter would cry sometimes, but I think it was because she saw her brother having such a hard time.

I hope preschool is a good experience for your child. I think my daughter was too young (she had just turned three) and I'm keeping her home this year for as long as I think she needs, especially since she doesn't start kindergarten for another two years. She didn't really get into it until the end of the year. But if your child starting preschool is hard, wait until first grade! My son just started this week and I cried the whole way home! I'm not ready to have him gone all day. He's only six!

Good luck! I'm sure your child will love preschool and I hope the transition goes smoothly.

Check out Usborne's "Going to School" at http://tinyurl.com/36g75y

This is a way to let them know what to expect on the first day - it's harder on us than them - good luck!

I would keep reassuring your little boy that preschool is really fun. Help him to understand how long it is (I use Sesame Street to help gauge how long something is - like "I will be back in an hour - that is how long Sesame Street is").
I cried when my daughter started (and finished) preschool. It was an amazing experience for her and it brightened the days of the rest of the family as well. It was fun for her to tell us all about it - she seemed to feel that she had some really important things to 'teach' us and her confidence really soared.
I agree that a 'lingering good-bye' is not a good idea for either of you. We have a 'routine' that we go through every time I drop my daughter off - I say almost the same thing every day (she likes that) and then give a big hug and kiss on top of her head.
The first week or so might be tough - but be positive and I bet soon he will be asking "is today a school day?!" good luck and keep us posted!