Tag Archives: first day of preschool

Preschool Post Script

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I need to pick up the thread of a few earlier postings. Particularly ones where I got such supportive and helpful feedback from you all.

Well, last week was the first full week of no crying when I left Vivien at school. I stay about five minutes, give her a two-minute warning, and she says “bye” with no problem. When I pick her up at noon she is always having fun and no longer anxious to leave. If the kids remaining weren’t about to go to nap time she would stay longer.

(This picture did not capture her with a happy face, but really, she was happy to be going to school.)

We’ve had two playdates, with two of the kids from school. I really like the parents there. I was afraid I wouldn’t like the parents, because sometimes playgroups have not yielded the bosom buddies I had hoped for, but we seem to be of a similar food group. A group of women who had careers and scaled back a bit for motherhood, and are not 20. I would hate to be the oldest mom in the crowd. The dads are cool too, but just like when I was a kid in school, I’m always more focused on making girlfriends.

Anyway, for anyone about to go through sending your kid to school for the first time, you can get through it! Now, I have to remind myself that I can get through it as I conquer my next hurdles; potty training, followed by no bottle at bed time, and finally not staying with Vivien as she falls asleep. Ugh. I’m already overwhelmed.

Preschool Day One Report: Stress

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It all started so well. Vivien picked out her outfit. Yes, not surprisingly she ditched the rubber boots fast, I had back up.

Vivien on her first day of preschool

And she was very pleased with her new lunch box. I had really been selling that as a cool thing and it seemed to be working. “Your lunchbox, for your school!”

Well, we get there and a lot of parents are trying to leave right away. Many are successful. A few need to hang back. I tried, but Vivien would start crying. So out of her three-hour day, I stayed 2 hours. I would have stayed more, but I did have to go to work.

There was one boy who was so undone, he cried almost nonstop for the entire two hours. I had a knot in my stomach from watching his big tears and sobs. It reminded me of how I was when I’d break up with someone in my 20s.

I insist on some space: “You go in the play yard, I’ll be over here.” Finally during the art project, which she really liked, I told her, “In 20 minutes, I’m leaving,” and then again at 2 minutes. She didn’t freak out. I kissed her, she didn’t freak, and I left.

My friend who works there said she sniffled a bit at lunch and wouldn’t eat. So much for the magic of the new Hello Kitty lunch pail. But when my sister and niece picked her up she was happy to see them and went and swam at my other sister’s house. I threw nap schedule out the window.

I got to work and found out that our show was being moved around this week due to accommodating a special on Brad and Angelina’s new babies.  Which was fine with me because it meant I didn’t have to work Tuesday morning and could take and pick up Vivien from school.  But, what I got my panties in a bundle about were what Brangelina named their daughter. Vivienne. Harrumph. Now every tabloid-reading pregnant lady is going to use some version of my daughter’s name. Which when she was born was not even in the top 1000 on the social security name list (my religion when I was pregnant was looking up names on that site) and Vivian (with an A) was about 250.

Now I like gazing at Brad and Angie as much as the next Star magazine (plug) reader, but I wanted Viv to have a tad offbeat name like my own… not really off, just a little.

I digress. so I am at work for about an hour, in an editing room with an editor and two producers.  The editor says, “How you doing?” A normal question. I burst into tears, “It’s–sob–my daughter’s first day–sob–at preschool.” You get the picture. They were nice. The editor says, “Of course it’s tough, and in 5 minutes she’s getting married.”

Last night I told Vivien we were going back to her school today. She said, “More school?  I don’t want to go.” Reaching for the phantom Valium again…

First Days at Preschool

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Yes, the first week of preschool is upon us. I was sure I would be bawling, and a friend of mine was sure she would be fine. But, it’s flipped. Partly because Vivien wouldn’t allow us to leave yet. This is the “transition week,” so I’m still daydreaming about free mornings.

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Creative Commons License photo credit: vitroids

Mark took her the first two days, since I was working, so I took her today. When she was jumping in my lap during story time, I tried to at least ease her on the rug in front of me to create some space. She did leave me for a while when buckets of toys were introduced. Also, we took the bus to school, which was a big hit, and ate Mexican food for lunch nearby, which made us both smile.

But come Monday, Mark and I will hang out for a bit and then try to bail to go to work. Mark says a friend told him to make it a game when we leave her at school on Monday. That the kid should push us out the door, with us saying, “Come on, push Mommy out the door!”

That might work for a more aggressive, independent kid. Not sure. But I’m just trying to sack up for leaving while she is crying. It’s not like I’m leaving her at a Russian orphanage, right? Moms that have gone through this already, do you have any strategies?