Seems like just yesterday that I was losing sleep trying to decide whether to send my older daughter, Kelly, to Kindergarten. She was a late July baby and her preschool teachers thought it was in her best interest to enroll her in 5-day preschool rather than send her to Kindergarten a few weeks after turning 5.
I was crushed. I thought it was something I did wrong and wondered why my child wasn't ready for Kindergarten. Until it finally occurred to me that it wasn't about me or what I did or didn't do. It was about Kelly and what was best for her. And, she was academically ready, she just wasn't socially ready. She was a shy, sensitive, quiet kid who still sometimes napped and was likely going to struggle in a class of 20-some kids at "big" school.
I knew, in my gut, that the preschool teachers were right and that Kelly wasn't quite ready. We made our decision (sent her to 5-day preschool) and I haven't regretted that decision at all. When Kelly went to Kindergarten this year, she was a completely different kid -- confident, outgoing, enthusiastic and a step ahead of most of the other kids in the class (from the benefit of having 5-day, K-like curriculum for a year).
This morning I had a parent/teacher conference with my younger daughter, Lauren's, preschool teacher and I was fully prepared for her to recommend 5-day preschool for Lauren who is also a July baby.
But the teacher threw me for a loop and said she thought Lauren would do fine in Kindergarten.
I was stunned. And, yet, I knew she was right.
Much as I desperately want my angels -- who are just under 2 years apart in age -- to be equal in all ways, I'm fully aware that they are completely different children and with totally different personalities. Kelly is sensitive, sweet, kind and timid. Not adjectives I'd use to describe Lauren. Lauren is tenacious, smart, physical, tough and overflowing with energy.
Lauren has always been quicker to do things. She walked at 8 1/2 months, she potty trained HERSELF at 23 months (she wore big girl panties to her 2nd birthday party), she could color perfectly at the age of 2. Last week I came into the kitchen to find her toasting her own bagel and mixing up a big bowl of scrambled eggs (not one piece of shell in the bowl -- even I can't do that).
I have a few concerns about Lauren starting K -- she's not going to have the advantage of the full year of pre-K curriculum that Kelly had, she seems to have no interest in writing at all (drawing, painting, doing crafts, coloring...sure! Writing words? She's capable of it, but she's not even remotely interested in doing it).
But, to be honest by biggest concern is that she'll only be a year behind her sister -- and some day I'm going to have to explain why they are two years apart in age and only one year apart in school.
I guess I'll just tell them the honest truth, "I did was was best for you at the time."