Dear Mama,
Labor Day weekend was a busy one for us. We had so much fun taking Liam on his first camping trip. Mark thinks it went 'remarkably well' for our first camping outing. Just between you and me, I know it was you and Papa raised us as campers ;-) It certainly didn't hurt that I had your old pickle barrels full of camping goodies to jog my memory on everything I needed to bring for a well-stocked kitchen, either. Thank you. I think the biggest thing we forgot was a lantern/candles. No biggie.
Liam had a blast, made new friends, loved the tent and absolutely reveled in helping with the fire. I'm glad we did it, though I imagine it'll be another two years before we do it again!
Camping: check. Now onto preschool. I know it's at least a year away, but I need to start learning about what's out there in order to even get into a preschool, let alone make an informed decision.
Holy cratcholie! Not only are there a ton of choices, but WOW! is it pricey! Why do I feel like I have to get a job just to pay for preschool? I'm talking several thousand dollars - and that's a 'moderately' priced preschool! I know the first couple of years of school are especially crucial to a boy and how he views and is viewed in school. I don't want to mess this up. But seriously? There's a part of me that is considering skipping preschool altogether. Let alone two years of it.
I didn't even know there were different types of preschools - play vs. learning schools. I sure as heck don't plan on shelling out that type of cash for a 'play' school. That is for certain. I can make sure he gets 'socialized' in other ways. But does he need that structure - do I need to pay out the nose - for him to learn his letters and numbers? Really? This stuff is mind-blowing.
Your daughter out in the cosmos,
Mara
Try looking into local church pre-schools and see what they cost. Yours was a Presbyterian church sponsored one. We sent you for the socialization so school wouldn't be a shocking experience. You know learning to share and actually 'making' friends. these are hard to do just with Mommy and Daddy and siblings. We always knew with our focus on reading and vocabulary and woring with you on conceppts and thinking processes you'd do fine with that stuff. We worked hard on yur quality od expression and grasp of ideas and developing a sense of humor too. Good luck, be practical as your Momma. She was the Queen of Practicality.
Thank you for the perspective, Papa.