Preschool

I have a million things I want to blog about, like why buying a car is a weird emotional investment as well as a financial one, and about the bad stuff that happened around the holidays. But I'm perpetually exhausted (doing too much for too long after Miss M goes to bed, combined with night terrors, combined with crazy work, combined with 8+ months pregnant). And I'm wrangling with the preschool question, too.

What age is right? How do you know when a child is ready? How many days a week? Full days or half days? I just don't know what to do.

Miss M will be two months shy of 3 when we are able to put her in preschool. If we skip it for next fall/winter, she will be just shy of 4 when we are next able to put her in. Because it's so hard to find a preschool opening where we will be located next fall, we really have to make a decision now, and apply and deal with wait-lists, etc. It's impossible to know where Miss M will be developmentally and socially nine months from now, so it's a little hard to come to a decision. I worry about whether she will be too young. I worry about whether she will be bored if she stays home. I worry about whether it will be too much for her. I worry that she won't be challenged enough if we DON'T put her in preschool next fall. I want her to be happy, and I want to make the right choice. And I do recognize as I agonize over this decision that it's just preschool, and her whole educational career won't be ruined by our decision at this juncture. But still. . .

What feels right to me is part time, half days. Maybe 3 days a week? But, the school I like the best is FT, or PT if you pay for FT. Even though it's PT, they still require full days (ie, your child can attend two or three days a week, but they must be full days). That feels like too much time at preschool.

I'd love to hear thoughts. Or better yet, send me your magic 8 ball to help me decide, as on some days that feels like as good an option as any for making the "right" parenting decision.