A Love for School

It has been nearly a year since Big Sister E headed off for her first day of preschool. Where does the time go? I still remember putting on my brave face for her and holding strong while dropping her off, with lots of hugs and kisses and promises to be there for her when it was done, and then coming back home to the silence. Little Sister B was still taking a morning nap at the time, so after I put her to bed, it was so... quiet.

There were a few bumps in the beginning, but fast-forward to the spring and Big Sister E didn't want school to end. She loved the art projects and gym time and singing songs and getting to play with her friends... every day that I picked her up she would tell me about the crafts that she had made or the games that she had participated in or the fun she had playing pretend with other kids. They played house or teacher or even that they were dinosaurs. Heck, the tales sounded fun to even me and I couldn't blame her for not wanting to go back to just hanging out with her little sister and me.

Fortunately, her school offered summer sessions as well, so, for the past three months Big Sister E has happily been toting her backpack back and forth two mornings a week to continue what she loved.

In the one year time, she has gone from this...

To this...

How did that happen?

But, alas, summer school ended this past week. And even though Big Sister E was obviously very happy there, my husband and I have made the decision to move her to a different preschool for the upcoming year. There were a multitude of pros and cons, but after talking through all of the options, we're confident that she will grow to love her new school as well.

But now that it is only two weeks away, I'm the one starting to get butterflies in my stomach. What if she doesn't like it? What if she isn't as happy? Will she easily make new friends?

Most importantly, when in the world does this parenting thing get any easier?

(I was compensated by Queen Ethelburga's in exchange for this post, but the rambling about my daughter's preschool experiences and my nervousness was my idea - aren't you lucky?)