As he stayed at home with me for the past 3+ years, we thought that it would be good to acclimatize him to a school gradually. Hopefully, he will be ready for kindergarten next year.
So, he has been going to a play school half day, 3 times a week for the past one month. The faithful mom, our maid and the baby sister kept him company.
Why the crowd, you might ask. Because we don't have any family members around to accompany him and he simply rejects going to school with the maid. I only want Mommy, says the little boss. Since the baby sister and the Mommy are in a symbiotic (read: breastfeeding) relationship, she has to come too. The maid? She carries the baby when Mommy is busy and soothes the wailing baby in her car seat.
The play school is very fun! It is play based which is something I want, with tonnes of toys scattered around its perimeter, a sandpit, pool, playground equipment, various art and craft resources. Aside from circle time, bible story and pre-reading classes, the children just play, play and play!
So far, Z loves the school. He especially loves the teacher "with yellow hair" (the supervisor has blond hair). He has also made progress in the last few weeks at school from showing a poker face and ignoring everyone else to playing with the children there (for 10 minutes ha!) and waving bye bye to the teachers without prompting. Nothing much to brag about maybe but a big deal for Z if you know him.
Zhe has been a very clingy and cautious child since babyhood. He takes to new things and new people veeery slowly. Routines are important to him. To give you an example, he HAS to go to ToysRus after church and have lunch in a particular shopping mall EVERY Sunday. To disrupt his routine would result in protests and long negotiation.
After spending a month at the play school, this mommy is fatigued with all the cheery songs, baby wailing (my own, due to no nap in the morning), 'unproductiveness' and a subtle sense of overstaying my welcome. Friends and teachers have been urging me to start leaving Z at school slowly, starting with an hour. Ooh, to think about the glorious mornings at home with only one child - no fighting for toys, no pushing and shoving - I am tempted. And of course, our goal is to leaving him at school for formal education ultimately. So we should probably start from somewhere.
I talked to Z many times about playing at school alone and he gave me mixed responses. Normally, he would cheerfully agree then quickly change his mind on the way to school.
No matter, I will try again tomorrow. I foresee tears and a long argument after. Bumpy road ahead, hold on tight!
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