Should I Add This Preschool?

I can't imagine putting my child in a "preschool" at 2 years of age every day. School will start soon enough! I wish I had my little ones home with me more now that they're older. I really cherished my time with them -- taking them out into the world - parks, playgrounds, grocery stores, libraries, museums (yes, even at 2). They helped me with chores and I played on the floor with them. It was so fun helping them discover the world and being there to witness it. I wouldn't have given that up for anything. To each his own, but I stayed home with my kids because I couldn't see hiring someone to do what I wanted to do.

And how many errands could you possibly be running? Yes, seeing how the world operates and learning patience IS part of running errands and IS enriching.

No offense, but this post makes me sad.

I think it's a great idea. In fact, I'd look into weekend camps, day-long sunday schools, and evening programs. I hate when my children interrupt my parenting!

Hmmm. I guess I'm wondering why you're a stay at home mom if you don't want to engage your child(ren) and do things with them at home. 2 years old is a baby still and entirely too young for preschool which is more like glorified babysitting at that age. Put him there rather than teach him how to be good with you when you shop? I don't get it. At some point he's going to have to learn how to act and keeping out of those situations is not to his benefit.

I have seen some of your other posts and know that you have 5 kids, that your husband doesn't like to "babysit" his own kids, and that your older kids are in multiple activities. I don't understand why one would continue to have kids they seem to want to cart off to someone else most of the time, and with a man who seems equally disinterested in them. It's kind of sad, really. Your kids will not develop if you don't give them time at home, just to "be" and learn from you.

If I had the luxury of not working, I certainly wouldn't push my 2 year old to "preschool" 5 days a week so I wouldn't have to deal with him. Plenty of moms take their kids shopping, and plenty of working moms do that while working 40 + hours a week, so I'm having a very hard time empathizing with you. I honestly don't get why you have 5 kids, you don't seem cut out for being a parent, especially of that many kids.

IMO 2 is too young to be in school at all, much less 5 days a week. He is still a baby. Enjoy your little ones. I wanted to add that I also think errands are more enriching than preschool. Siblings that spend more time together also get along better.

He's just 2, right? He just needs to play and eat dirt. I doubt he's bored with you. And you can find a toddler and baby story time if you want to get out or find a Meet Up or just go out in the backyard or to the park. I wouldn't add a second preschool. I would find ways to engage with him. YOU are their best teacher and these years go so fast. I stayed home with DD after 18 mo. and I don't feel she was harmed at all by not attending preschool til she turned 4. Just roll the kids into your errands. Need to go to the store? Grab the kids. Maybe stop at a park before you go so they're not rowdy in the dairy aisle. Be confident in your own abilities and that he needs and wants you.

I understand that it's harder with kids in tow, but I think he can learn to run errands, "help" you around the house and whatnot, and see if your grocery store delivers. I would think that 2 preschools would be confusing and I would not put my child in 2 different centers, especially at 2 yrs old. I guess the question for me is why do you need to keep him busy outside the house? It's just 2 days a week (work week) that you are home with the 2 kids. Use that time for family time, appointments, etc.

ETA: I'm not sure why you are so anxious to get your little ones out of the house. 15 months seems so little to be in care when she doesn't need to be. Is it just that being a SAHM isn't really your thing? If so, that's fine, but being home and paying a lot to have someone else care for your kids when you don't need to just doesn't make a lot of sense to me, unless you are working from home.

I also see from older questions that you get very little help from your DH. So maybe the real problem isn't which preschool to pick, but how to get your husband to pitch in on his own kids.

He is two. Please realize -- I'm not sure you do -- that you are his world. His favorite person. And not boring. Your younger child will soon feel the same way; they want you, not constant activity and a ton of new kids to meet all the time. That will come, and it's fine and necessary, but why push so fast for it now?

Why do you see the days as something you must "fill with stuff to do"? I take that to mean you think he should be entertained at all times. He doesn't. Just be with him and learn to play with him. If he's constantly entertained, constantly with others every single day, (yes, even half a day every day) he will be slower to learn to entertain himself or to be alone without feeling bereft. And he won't get to know you, before he has to go off all day to kindergarten. At that point, your chance to play with him -- just you two and the little one -- is gone, and you will not get it back. No errands or housework should be so consuming that they and preschool or care fill the kids' days.

Yes, doing things outside home is enriching. But five days a week at two years old in two different programs is a lot for a child who's barely into toddlerhood. Even the most sociable child needs down time and time to think and collect himself. If you want enrichment, try mommy-and-me classes where you participate alongside him. You say you can't do it because you also have a baby; some programs (notably Music Together) do allow siblings under a certain age; have you checked them out?

This doesn't make sense to me. Thousands and thousands of moms (including myself) "drag" our kids on errands. I don't see a whole lot of screaming kids out with their moms, so perhaps it's time to get your child used to this...? Do you think preschools fully focus on your kid all day? No, they don't. If your kid is going to be gone every day of the week, then it doesn't even make sense for you to stay home...in my opinion. I mean, do you want to be a stay at home mom, or not? That involves housework while kids are home, and who says a parent has to constantly engage with kids all day? Kids need independent time, as well.

Aren't you at some point, going to have to learn to manage both of your children at once? I don't know, your reasoning just doesn't make sense. It seems like you just want him to not be home all the time, and you maybe haven't figured a way to manage him being home with another. Don't you see parents at the zoo, the mall, the park, festivals, stores, events....with toddlers and babies? I'm wondering why you think taking both children places is impractical? It's TWO days a week. You are saying you can't fill those days up? You can't run errands with your children? You can't take them anywhere together? What the...???

I'm not against putting children in school, or preschool, for working or non working parents. In fact, I stay at home, and my son does go to a class to half days a week. (I work from home those 2 half days.) . I just think your reasoning is kind of lame. 2 days a week with your child, when you are HOME, should be filled easily and not with all the things you think you can't do. Why are you so afraid to do things with your children at the same time. Don't you want to?

I think 2 different schools every day of the week, is confusing.

I'm not trying to be harsh, I just think I'm not understanding why you feel this is needed...or why you can't take BOTH of your children to do things. How many hours a say do you really need to clean?

What in the world is wrong with having your own children at home with you two days a week? My two year old loves to help me clean! Give the little guy a rag and a spray bottle of water and let him go! You don't have to be fully focused on your two year old to have their time be well-sent.

He's not sitting at home "all day, every day." He goes to preschool, and he's only two. My two children, who are 3 and 8, have NEVER gone to a preschool and have spent EVERY day "at home with mom" and I could hardly call them unenriched, bored, or anything of the other nonsense. I have nothing against preschool, but you seem to think it's better than time spent with mom. NO time is better than time spent with mom when they are that young. It's fine to have preschool...plenty of good experiences there...but it doesn't have to be every day! To say that preschool is essentially more engaging to your child than YOU are...

There are plenty of great things you could be doing to engage your own children. Clean when they're sleeping.

**I'm adding a little more, because I agree with others that this post makes me sad. Do you know how enriching a trip to the grocery store can be? What a perfect opportunity for you to plunk your toddler in the cart, right in front of you, and TALK to him! Teach him colors and names of vegetables and fruits, let him put the apples in a bag, ask him what he'd like to buy, etc.

Errands can absolutely be enriching, if you aren't just dragging your children along. Engage them in it. Talk to them. Teach them. No, I probably wouldn't bring my children around to pay bills, but I certainly would bring them to the grocery store! How many other errands are there?

I just can't imagine putting a baby (15 months...talking about your youngest one) in what is essentially daycare just to have "me" time. They're only babies once. I get it, when you have to work...but if you don't? Someone else is not better than YOU are.

***Karen...AMEN! I feel like I should just leave this sentence and erase the rest of my answer.

**I also don't think "preschool" for a 15 month old or a 2 year old is in ANY WAY more enriching than spending time with Mom, even if it involved doing errands. I'm sorry, but my children have learned so much just by going to the grocery store! There are so many opportunities to use it as a lesson...not just about food, but cultures, numbers, letters, colors, everything! Sorry I keep drilling on this one point, but what do you think they do in preschool for a few hours every day? Maybe you should sit in on the class for a week straight, and see if you still find it totally engaging for your child.

Why can't you run errands with your kid? I don't get it, but I homeschool, so I'm use to dragging them with me.

If you don't want your kid around, then sure, sign him up for school. Just beware that language is best acquired in dialogical conversation, so unless th preschool has a 1 to 2 or 3 ratio, your youngsters are better off being bored at the store, as long as mom talks to them.

2 year olds don't get bored, the world is too new and exciting.

imho this is starting the whole over-scheduling thing waaaay too young. let your 2 year old be a 2 year old. preschool at 2 years old is for you to get a break - nothing else. if you truly think there is any other benefit you don't know much about child development. that's not being mean, i'm serious. let him, as someone said, "eat dirt". let him play at home and learn gentle touch with the baby and learn how to help mom doing some simple chores and just learn what it is to be a member of the human species. he's only been on the planet 2 years. he's nowhere near bored yet. preschool is really not going to do anything for him at this age. as someone said...glorified babysitting.

After your SWH, i'm really curious as to why you even asked the question. this seems to be a theme with you, you ask us what we think, for the most part the overwhelming majority tell you your children are over scheduled and don't know how to just "be" without constantly being entertained, and you brush it all off and keep on doing what you're doing. why ask? honestly.

i am really starting to get the feeling that you are completely incapable of raising these FIVE children you have given birth to. not only incapable - disinterested. i agree with a few of the others. that is just so depressing. you have completely ignored all the joys of life, not to mention motherhood...and you're raising your children to do the same. what a waste!

**eta after you edited your swh - i am sorry that being anywhere and being without your children is better than staying at home with them. even sorrier that you don't see what's wrong with that :(

I wonder why you want to keep you all so busy. You and your children need down time to process the rest of life. Your 2 yo will benefit greatly from quiet, at home time with his family. Busy, busy, busy is not a good way to start life. There's no time to just be. We all need more of that.

I suggest that he's whining and miserable when he's home because he hasn't had the opportunity to learn how to just be himself without being entertained. He's missing out on a very important part of being a person, the ability to be happy with ones self and ones ability to entertain themselves. I suggest you are raising children who will always have to be busy, just as you always have to be busy. Are you ever comfortable just sitting and doing nothing? If not, you will eventually be unhappy because there will come a time when you'll realize that all that busyness does not fill your soul.

It feels like you're running and running so that you don't have to think and feel. That's what I've noticed in people who are always busy.

so you would have all of your children in care??? wow.. that is great..

why have 5 children if you wont want to take care of them//

sure sign him up. Seriously I would look into kindercare... then you could drop off the baby and the toddler.. they could stay there all day until your school age child gets to picked up from school..

PUT DOWN THAT DUST RAG AND PLAY WITH YOUR CHILD. do a puzzle.. read a book.. go for a walk. this is ridiculous. at 3 years old.. you send your kids away all day... why have kids???????

then you could stay home all day.. and clean.. clean clean...

there are absolutely mom and tot classes you can take 2 kids to.. Kindermusik is great.. I did kindermusik with both of my kids. I did library story times with both kids. I went to the park with both kids.

My son goes to preschool 3 days/week for 2.5 hrs and he's 4. My younger son will start next year at 3.5 and is currently just home all day with me. When the 4 year old doesn't have school, he's home with me and most days we don't even leave the house. Neither kids are bored at all, they love to be home playing with their toys and playing outside. For us, doing playdates and spending time at home playing, reading, doing artwork, going outside is WAY more enriching than throwing money away for some of those mom and me preschool classes. Both my kids have good social skills and are well adjusted in life. Don't feel like you have to fill up their schedule with activities right now, just enjoy the time at home with them. Let him enjoy not having to have so much structure while he can!

I think that age 2 is pretty young to go to school every day if you have one parent who isn't working.

There are many parent-tot classes you can do with a baby and a toddler. Music Together is one of my absolute favorites (www.musictogether.com) and you siblings under 9 months old are free. Gymboree will also let you bring a baby in a carrier (Ergo, bjorn, sling, etc) for no cost.

Another great option is to join your local MOMS Club (www.momsclub.org) and/or find some good meetup groups in your area (www.meetup.com). Through either organization, you should be able to join playgroups with moms in your area who have children the same age(s) as yours. The fees are very minimal (usually no more than $30 per year) and they'll do fun activities like park days.

Toddlers need some unstructured time. Being in school five days a week is too regimented for a two year old, even if it's a fairly relaxed school. They still need to follow rules and behave in a certain way that, if they were just playing freely at the park, might not apply.

I think it's a bit confusing to have children in two separate preschool programs. I say this from experience; I had a child in one of my old preschools who attended another one two days a week. I also know this from a dear friend who runs a preschool and had her daughter in her school part time and the other school part time.

Kids need consistency of caregivers, friends, routines and expectations. If it were me in your situation, I would do either the 9-12 preschool for the entire week OR stick with what you have with the community preschool for the rest of the school year.

My two year old goes to preschool five mornings a week. He goes to a high quality Montessori school. If your options are also high quality, go for it. I can only shake my head in disbelief at what some others have responded. Preschool is more enriching than being dragged around on errands. I agree it might be confusing to go to two different schools. You would have to see how your kid would handle it.

Oh my God, I can't believe someone referred to running errands as "enriching" for a young child!
There's nothing "enriching" about being strapped in and out of a car seat all morning, sitting in traffic, in lines, waiting rooms or any of the other boring things adults need to do. I swear some SAHM's seem to depend on their kids for companionship and company way more than they should :-(
My kids went three days a week from 9 to 12:30 and they LOVED it. They also spent PLENTY of time with me at home, helping in the yard and kitchen and playing together, very well, thank you very much. I may have sent them five mornings, but we had swim/gym lessons and pool and zoo memberships so that kept us pretty busy on the other two days.
Do what works for YOU, and if you can afford it, do more preschool. Your kids will have a great time I am sure, and THAT's what it's all about at this age, PLAY!!!