In the past 6 months or so we've been debating on the subject of preschool. Virtually ALL of Kiera's little friends are in preschool (or will be soon). Neither Steve nor myself nor any of our siblings attended preschool and we all turned out great (at least I think so).
I was going to participate in a preschool co-op type thing but it ended up falling through. I looked at some of the expensive preschools around but I couldn't justify them:
1. Kiera is doing fine academically (she can read simple sentences).
2. I feel like she is doing fine socially.
So because of mainly financial reasons I had decided not to put Kiera in preschool. However, I recently became absolutely sure of my decision of not doing preschool EVER for any of my kids. Why? Because of a book I recently read. "Hold On to Your Kids". This is more of a philosophy book than a parenting book and it comes with my highest of highest recommendation. This book has ABSOLUTELY changed the way I look at life an parenting (unlike the other 10 parenting books that I've read that have nothing more than good tips).
Ever heard of kids who feel like the worst punishment is to have their parents be disappointed in them? This book explains how that is possible....along with lots of other stuff.
Thank you so much Lindy for recommending this book to me. It really has changed me. I'm just so glad I read it so early in my parenting life.
6 comments:
Thanks for the suggestion, Sean and I think it is very important to have your children close -- have your home be the "hang out home", no sleepovers, family vacations with just family, etc. so I will have to read up! FYI, Malia is no longer in preschool, so Kiera is not alone anymore in homeness:) Let's play when you are well -- Trav will be a good age then too!!
None of my siblings were in preschool either, and we all turned out normal. Thanks for the book suggestion. I'll have to check it out. Preschool is more of a social integrating and playtime thing in my opinion. I simply love having Emily home with me, and don't see a need to put her in preschool. She loves playtime with her friends too.
Thanks-- while my boys have gone to preschool, I have had lots of people ask me why I prefer half day kindergarten. I answer that there is such a short time that your kids want to be with you.
I think that there is nothing wrong with choosing not to send your kids to preschool, but I do think that it is a decision that should be made based on the individual needs of each child. Unless you don't believe in playdates or babysitters, how could you think that preschool is bad for your kids? Benjamin was shy and had kind of a hard time with change, so I think it did him a world of good to prepare him for a full day of school by easing him into the routine with preschool. I think it would have been really hard for him had he just gone straight from home to a full day of school. And can you imagine throwing Jacob into school without a solid preschool preparation? Anyway, I just think you should make your decisions based on each child. I do plan to read the book, though.
I used to be under the philosophy that the world has our children soon enough so why send them to preschool. However sending Brock to preschool was the best thing ever. It wasn't an easy decision for me but I'm so glad I sent him. It was exactly what he needed. Emma attends for an entirely different reason and again, I'm so glad she's there. I agree with Christa. It's a decision to make on an individual basis. I wouldn't rule out preschool entirely as you may have a child that preschool would do a world of good for. Preschool isn't just about developing social skills or academics. That's just the beginning. It helps foster indepedence, confidence, and so on. Two days a week for three hours isn't very much and for me, I stay very involved and aware of all that Emma does in preschool...now daycare, I have real issues with! Be educated and well informed but be open minded as well. To each his own and somehow we all grow up and turn out okay. I could go on and on but I'm curious to find out what this book had to say that confirmed your decision.
Sounds like an interesting book! :) Thanks for sharing it!
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