Pro's
- I need a designated amount of time every week to do things that are impossible or becoming impossible to do with a toddler i.e. working out, going to the grocery store, doctors' appointments, etc. If the rumors are true about TPS, my husband is essentially going to be unavailable during the work week to help me with this stuff.
- Aaron needs to become comfortable being taken care of by other people and being around kids his own age.
- I believe that the CDC can supplement and certainly build upon the concepts we are trying to teach him at home.
Con's
- I FEEL GUILTY!!! O.K., I don't work so why am I paying for child care? Will Aaron think I don't love him anymore because I'm taking him somewhere so someone else can take care of him?
For me, what it all comes down to is allowing him experiences that I feel I can't give him or enough of what he deserves. These include interaction with other kids his own age, benefits of caregivers trained in early education, a defined structured setting, etc.
Most importantly, though, it helps out in the fact that I cannot be the sole "on" person in Aaron's life anymore. By that I mean the person who plays with him, reads to him, sets up activities for him, etc.; basically, the person who tries to zap his seemingly boundless energy with playtime. I just don't have the energy to be that for him 24-7, especially now that he's entered into toddlerhood, and that's just not fair to him. My plan is to take him to the CDC three days a week for two and a half hours each day in the morning. I truly believe the time that remains for me will definitely be more fulfilling for both me and him as opposed to having him all day everyday and being exhausted just going through the motions. I look at it as pre-preschool. That is my hope anyway.
Thanks for allowing me to put my mental dilemma into words. Any thoughts or suggestions? Leave me a comment.
3 comments:
You will know it is o.k. because in no time he is going to tell you he doesn’t want to go with you and that he’d rather stay at day care to play with his friends. It happens to me regularly. And then there are the times where they come running to because they are so happy to see you (not because he was sad, but he is just happy to see you). You never get that at home because you never leave him. It’ll be o.k., it is good for both of you.
It will probably be harder for you to leave him that many days than for him to be left. You might want to try two days first, if they allow that just to give YOURSELF time to adjust. Padyn's in 2 day a week preschool right now and I am already thinking (and dreading) next year when she goes to three days a week. And she loves going! She loves leaving me! It's my issue, not hers.
Stop stressing. He is a great boy and he deals with all of the adjustments in his life. This is just one more adventure for him. He'll find one cool kid he'll bond with and then you won't even get a goodbye when you take him in! I think we've talked about my experience recently with Nikki.
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