First Day Of "School"

Yes, that day has arrived for Aaron. Sort of.

I've always wanted to keep Aaron home with me until he needed to start primary school but we needed to make some adjustments. I understand that he's only three and a half and many kids at that age still prefer the company of their moms but I've come to realize that he is perhaps a little too attached.

Over here, the prep year (year before Grade 1) starts for children who are 5 or years old depending on when their birthdays are. That would be full days, five days a week. For Aaron, this would start in 2012. So, my plan was to start him in some sort of kindergarten next year and go for a couple of days a week to get used to being away a full day.

But, after attending his swimming and gymnastics classes with him these few weeks (and also a few trial lessons on other things), I feel that he really sticks to me just a little too much. I don't mind it but I am a little worried that he would only grow more attached instead of growing more independent. After all, life in Palembang meant that he and I were alone in the house, just the two of us, every day for almost every day of his life so far. He has almost never been apart from Richard or me. And the only other person he has spent time with is my mother.

So, all that leads us to today. We've decided to try sending him to two hours of child care a week. We're calling it "school" because he has read a lot of stories about school and always seemed so excited to go. Today is just a trial day and the drama started from home, before he even got in the car. I hope that after today he'll realize that we do come back to get him. Maybe it will take more than one go. I swear, it was easier convincing him that he needed to have a needle than to leave the house today.