A Happy Heart (That's Also Sad)

Wow…what a difference a year can make! My big guy started preschool last week, and I can hardly contain my joy about how it is going! After struggling and struggling with the decision of whether to send him to kindergarten or let him do one more year of preschool, I now know definitively that we made the right choice. He is so in love with his teachers, he is making so many new friends, and he’s completely benefitting from being one of the leaders instead of the ”baby.” The look of happiness on his face when I pick him up each afternoon is priceless. On his sixth day of school, he has already collected seven “positive punches” (little pats on the back for good behavior). It took him until Thanksgiving to do so last year. My prayer is that this extra year makes every school year from here on out a little easier.




On the other hand, my little guy started a mother’s morning out program last week, too. This is not going quite so well. He’s my little snuggle bug, my little cuddler…in short, he is my baby. Any mom out there can probably testify to how horrible you feel when you give your sweet baby to his (very kind and understanding) new teachers, only to have him scream and sob as if you are breaking his heart. Today was his third morning, and we’re not seeing any improvement. Today’s crying was louder and more heart-wrenching than the days before. The teachers promise that he settles down and enjoys himself after a while, but that is not the part of the day I see. I wonder if it would make little guy feel better to know that Mommy cries, too, after she drops him off…she just waits until he can’t see her do it. I’m going to give it a couple more weeks, because I know he is in good hands and I know it is good for him to get used to being away from me. But my heart, which is so joyful with the progress big guy is making, is aching for my little guy.