Preschool 1.0 was our bubble. That’s were my son met his friends, and I did too. We had play dates and birthday parties, mom get togethers and frequent coffee visits. I knew every mom’s name and considered all of them friends. By the time my second child started preschool, I had two in preschool (going opposite days), and became even more entrenched in the environment. We would arrive early so the kids could greet their friends, stay late so we could linger on the playground, and I would happily volunteer when needed. I formed a tight knit group of friends with whom I could relate because we had a lot of the same challenges, and for most of us, were experiencing preschool for the first time with our oldest children.
So what’s changed? My world. Our bubble has expanded far beyond those iron preschool gates, and I no longer have the luxury of leisurely coming and going and sacrificing my free time. My time without kids is precious and I am now one of those moms who is arriving just in the nick of time in the morning and is quick to leave after pick up.
It’s not just my schedule that’s changed...looking around the school yard I notice that more moms than not have a baby in their arms and are bonding over sharing the same challenges with similarly aged children like I once did. I am not one of them. I have become the “mom with older kids”. You can tell us because we don’t bring our kids to school in their cutest, cleanest outfit (and mine, who dress themselves, are usually completely mismatched). We don’t rush to our child who may have fallen or stay longer in the classroom because our child is anxious we are leaving. We aren’t packing homemade, organic snacks for our kids and we don’t cringe when we see the paint set out for the kids. It’s school. It’s messy. That’s how they learn. And at least it’s not at my house. I don’t know many of the moms’ names, and the ones I do know I know from bonding over preschool 2.0.
So, while preschool 3.0 has been a different experience, it’s still a meaningful one for me. It’s a valuable reminder of how much I’ve grown, how much more confidence I have now and how much of a better mother I’ve become because of it. And this time around I can focus more on what the experience means to my children, not just me, which makes it more fun for everyone.
Now...where are the finger paints???
Photo: Salvatore Vuono
