First day of preschool, take 2

Ok, for realsies this time!  Jude had his first day of preschool yesterday to mixed reviews.

The above picture is the best picture I got of him at preschool.  He started running away from me as soon as we got there.

I say mixed reviews because he was great going in… and not-so-great coming out.

No problems making himself comfortable in the classroom or separating from me as I left him there.  I doubt he even registered the red eyes of some of his classmates as they clung to their mommies. 

And sorry to disappoint, but no tears from me either.  It didn’t feel emotionally like it was a big step.  I cried when he first pooped in the pot.  I did.  But first day of preschool?  Nothing.  No guarantees for the first day of real school.  I could be a sloppy mess then, or not, you never know.

Jett and I came back home for a little while before heading to playgroup.  I was glad it wasn’t difficult getting him out of the preschool classroom – he followed me out easily, for which I was thankful.

And then went back to the church to pick him up…

The classroom door was closed until it was time to dismiss, so all the parents, grandparents and siblings waited expectantly in the foyer.  Finally, the door opened and the sweet children came filing out to meet their families holding papers and their craft to put in their backpacks.  All 15 kids, and no Jude. 

Finally I see him – the last one to leave the classroom and he’s crying, running around in circles saying, "I don’t want to save my apple!"  The craft.  He didn’t want to keep it. 

I was standing near the preschool teacher and she asked me if he did that at home.  Throw fits?  Yep, pretty standard.  And then I asked her if he did that throughout the day.  "Yeah, a few times…" she said very politely.

She said preschool will help him with the fit behavior.  The kid is not used to a structured environment or having any kind of schedule.  I’m guilty of not providing much of either for him in this house.  That’s not to say we don’t have rules and consequences – we do.  But if we’re doing an activity at home, and he’s into it for .05 seconds, we do something else.  If he wants to be outside for 30 minutes or an hour, we are.  No transitioning between activities – and I have a feeling that’s where he had problems, not wanting to come inside after playing outside, not wanting to stop coloring when it was time to leave for the day. That, and he’s got the strong will of his father (and his father would say it came from me).

But overall he loved preschool and is excited to go back.  I think this will be good for him. 

Here are a few other pictures of the boys before we left for preschool.  They were so keyed up!

And the dance sequence: