School's not in...

September means the start of a new school year. This week I couldn't help but think that this is probably the last year that I won't be getting Adam ready for school in the mornings. Can you believe it? Because he's so tall and therefore looks older than he really is, I often get asked if he's in preschool; To that I reply a) he's only 2 (ok, so he's almost three), and b) i'm not sure if i'm even doing preschool.

I once heard Dr. Laura say that preschool was created to make stay-at-home moms feel inferior - that there is nothing your child learns in preschool that can't be taught at home. Finally, she spouted that children should be enrolled in school no earlier than age 5 - for kindergarten.

I'm not sure I completely agree with her, but it did make me think a bit. I've heard lots of reasons for sending kids to preschool: moms with younger kids send their oldest to preschool because they need a break, moms who think they can't teach them as well as a schoolteacher can, and moms that just do it for socialization.

If we do enroll Adam to preschool next year (and we probably will...) it will be because we think Adam will really benefit from the structure of a few days at school, and want him to be familiar with the idea of a school day before he enters kindergarten (which, may or may not be all-day, depending on the school). Finally, I think he'd really enjoy the interraction with other kids his age on a regular basis.

For this year, I vow to enjoy having my little love at home with me in the mornings. Waking me up in the morning, instead of the other way around ("you up, mommy?"). Not rushing through breakfast. Watching a cartoon or two...or three.

Yes, these mornings should be treasured, because before I know it, i'll be whisking him off to school and crying in the car on the way home wondering where my little baby went...