Preschool Update

This update is mainly aimed at Joshua's grandparents, who are the ones most likely to be interested in this sort of thing, but of course anyone is welcome to read :). We are now halfway through the school year, and I am happy to report that Joshua is thriving at his preschool. He loves being there and has made great friends, which, as his mother, truly makes my heart sing.

He has done well right from the start, but his teachers and I have noticed how much he has grown since last September. I notice he has grown in independence, confidence, social skills, leadership, empathy, articulation (since when did he need to grow in this area?!), creativity, problem solving, appreciation for cultures outside his own. We made the decision to enroll him for an additional day, so now he is attending 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. He seemed ready for it, and we're hoping this will help make for a smooth transition to kindergarten in the Fall.

And speaking of preschool, I wanted to write about the experience I had picking Joshua up from preschool today, so it would be in print and maybe I could blackmail him with it later on in life. Anyway, Daniel and I ran an errand while Joshua was at preschool, and made it back in time to pick him up with about 20 minutes to spare. This was perfect because Daniel loves to play on the lawn area in front of the school, and there is this perfect little tree that has low, thick branches that all the kids love to climb on. Daniel happily climbed on the tree while I waited on the bench that's just across the lawn from the school.

After a minute or two, one of Joshua's friends saw me outside on the bench and said, "Hey Joshua, I see your mom." Joshua came to the open window and called out, "Hi Mom!" I smiled and waved, and explained that Daniel was climbing on the tree while we waited for preschool to be done. By this time, a small crowd had gathered at the window around Joshua. "That's my Mom. She's my Mom," he told the kids. "My Mom is there waiting for me," he told each new friend that came to the window.

The kids eventually got in "trouble" for clustering around the window, and since I was causing a little too much commotion I went and sat on a low-lying branch of Daniel's tree, out of sight. But oh how I love Four and wish that I could somehow reach out and preserve a piece of Joshua just the way he is. That way, there would always be a part of him at this dear, sweet stage someplace in the eternities; when he was excited to see his mom, proud to show me to all his friends and not one bit embarrassed to have me around.