Our baby boy is now 3! 3 beautiful years with this crazy beautiful soul. I feel quite lucky because for me...our time hasn't flown. I've felt every moment of those 3 years and it feels like he's been here forever. I've been very blessed with a hard working husband who has given me the greatest gift of staying home with our babies. I am also very lucky that I started a beautiful business, before having my babies, which allowed me to work at my home with my boy every day once he was a bit older. So working and not working, he's been by my side...just us 2, with the whole world at our feet. We played, we learned, we laughed, we cried, we slept and we didn't sleep...and we did it together. I am one lucky Mumma!
After the birth of our second son we wanted to make a plan for 2018. Should we send our boy off to daycare? Is that what you do? They move on from their toddler years and are in that limbo year of not quite preschool ready, but too old to be a toddler. A new baby was coming. Should he be given the chance to go and make friends and experience another environment? Should he be given all of the attention and activities that he might miss at home because "mums busy with the baby'? We went back and forth with what we should do but our final decision was that we would keep our boy home 1 more year. He will be at school for 13 years...there's no rush. We are lucky and don't need 'childcare' so I made the choice not to go back to work and not to send our boy to a center. I wanted to give him my commitment of a fun filled year full of activities that will foster his cognitive, social and physical development. I can do this. I was born to do this. I was excited for our year of fun!
We then got a little email explaining to us that his Kindy for next year were continuing with a program called Pre-Kindy. This is where the 3 year olds, who are set to start Kindy the following year, would all come to the center for a few hours, 1 day a week, to 'experience Kindy life'. Ummmmm can you say perfect? I jumped at the chance and thought this would be perfect for our little star. He gets to have his 'year of fun' with Mummy and still get a 'taste' of Kindy life in this amazing program.
Today was our orientation day. I had no idea what to expect from him, which made me extremely anxious about the whole experience. We have never had to deal with him going with people he doesn't know and the thought of it almost made me stop breathing. I know he will be ok...but my mother heart was pounding and it was a massive step for us all. Lucky today was only orientation day so parents could stay for the few hours which allowed all of us to have a transition day. And boy oh boy did our little star shine.
I've been planning for this day for a few weeks now. H is 3...and well that should be enough description for you to know that 3 is a testing year. They are pushing boundaries and finding themselves in their little world. If H doesn't want to do anything...he wont. He is
When we drove in the driveway Hunter called out...is this my Kindy Mummy? Is that the playground? ohhhhhhhhhh thank you thank you thank you. Big tick...he was excited! We got out of the car, he put on his back pack and waited at the gate patiently for me to get his brother. We were ready...he was ready...It was time.
As he walked, he was taking it all in...I was just watching him...walking so confidently like he had done this before. Like starting Kindy was a walk in the park and he had been doing it for years. I was proud of his confidence. When he saw someone he would say hello and keep walking. I couldn't stop smiling. When we walked out the back he walked straight to the shelves and put his backpack there, I mean, it was the wrong spot, but he just knew he had to go in and put his bag away. When we walked in the room his eyes absolutely LIT UP and he just said woooooooow. He didn't once look at me or need encouragement, he walked straight in and found the first activity table. BUGS! Well played Kindy...well played. They had him hook, line and sinker. This was the best place ever. From that moment on it was a breeze. He played and played and not once looked up for me worried. He was busy...super busy, and I was relieved...super relieved.
He played with play dough, puzzles, bugs, insects, dinosaurs, wooden blocks and cars. He was in his element. He counted all the toilets and was very excited to tell me that there are 3. He was talking to another mum telling her that we had brought 2 pieces of fruit to share. He was just simply having fun. When the parents were having their information session with the teacher the children just played around us. I kept watching our boy out of the corner of my eye and caught the most beautiful moment. He had gathered all of the cups and the jug from the home corner and put them on a tray and took it around to all of the children playing and gave them a 'drink'. He then went back and got the muffin tray and put the plastic fruit in the holes and went back to each child and gave them a piece of food. My heart literally exploded. My eyes welled up and it took all self control to fight them. That was my boy. My beautiful kind, caring, thoughtful boy. I have never seen him in a situation quite like this and he just blew me away.
From that single moment I knew...I had done my job...and I had done it bloody well. This was such a pivotal moment in my motherhood journey and it was the perfect sign to show me that he will be ok! It was all that I needed. This is his first step in his transition to kindy and then into school and today and this beautiful special moment just showed me that he is going to rock it. We still have our 'first day' coming up next week and the reality of me actually leaving might be hard to handle but I have such a good feeling about his group and his teachers and I have a lot of confidence in H and his self confidence and security that I know we will get through it.
We did it. Big breath. Its time to let go a little and let my boy shine.
As he walked, he was taking it all in...I was just watching him...walking so confidently like he had done this before. Like starting Kindy was a walk in the park and he had been doing it for years. I was proud of his confidence. When he saw someone he would say hello and keep walking. I couldn't stop smiling. When we walked out the back he walked straight to the shelves and put his backpack there, I mean, it was the wrong spot, but he just knew he had to go in and put his bag away. When we walked in the room his eyes absolutely LIT UP and he just said woooooooow. He didn't once look at me or need encouragement, he walked straight in and found the first activity table. BUGS! Well played Kindy...well played. They had him hook, line and sinker. This was the best place ever. From that moment on it was a breeze. He played and played and not once looked up for me worried. He was busy...super busy, and I was relieved...super relieved.
He played with play dough, puzzles, bugs, insects, dinosaurs, wooden blocks and cars. He was in his element. He counted all the toilets and was very excited to tell me that there are 3. He was talking to another mum telling her that we had brought 2 pieces of fruit to share. He was just simply having fun. When the parents were having their information session with the teacher the children just played around us. I kept watching our boy out of the corner of my eye and caught the most beautiful moment. He had gathered all of the cups and the jug from the home corner and put them on a tray and took it around to all of the children playing and gave them a 'drink'. He then went back and got the muffin tray and put the plastic fruit in the holes and went back to each child and gave them a piece of food. My heart literally exploded. My eyes welled up and it took all self control to fight them. That was my boy. My beautiful kind, caring, thoughtful boy. I have never seen him in a situation quite like this and he just blew me away.
From that single moment I knew...I had done my job...and I had done it bloody well. This was such a pivotal moment in my motherhood journey and it was the perfect sign to show me that he will be ok! It was all that I needed. This is his first step in his transition to kindy and then into school and today and this beautiful special moment just showed me that he is going to rock it. We still have our 'first day' coming up next week and the reality of me actually leaving might be hard to handle but I have such a good feeling about his group and his teachers and I have a lot of confidence in H and his self confidence and security that I know we will get through it.
We did it. Big breath. Its time to let go a little and let my boy shine.
S.K.K
