The Pre-School Dilemma

With kiddos at the pre-school age, we have been presented with the dilemma of when to send them.  Do we start them in 2 day 2's?  Or should we wait for 3 day 3's?  Or just hold off all together until Kindergarten?

There are a few schools of thought on this topic that range from "children need to stay at home with mom as long as possible" to "Oh my gosh, I need a break!  2 day 2's, here we come!" 

Although I have received various perspectives on the topic, I think it's important for parents to realize that no matter what anybody says on the issue, you know your children best.  Nobody can judge the situation better than you can.  Trust your own judgement.  Again, there is no right or wrong answer...it's not a moral issue!

For us, we decided to let our oldest go to preschool at 2 for a few reasons.  First of all, he was not talking.  He had maybe 30 words but had no interest in further communication.  Secondly, he is not the best when it comes to change and we were not only moving to a new city but we were also moving from a rental to a new home, having a new baby, AND his dad was going to be leaving for deployment.  For these reasons, we felt that it was the best plan for him to have a constant amongst all of the change.

Now, our middle daughter, Little C, is 2 now.  She could have gone this fall but we chose to keep her home.  While I know she would have a ball, I do feel like its important for her to have some time at home without her brother.  They are two peas in a pod and I want to make sure she knows her place with or without him.  We have been reassured in our decision because, honestly, she has a really hard time not having her brother around for 3 hours every other day.  She asks to go get him almost every 10 minutes.  It breaks my heart but I know that she'll benefit greatly from getting some quality time with her baby sister and mama.  We have considered letting her go in January but at this point, we're just going to play it by ear and trust our gut.

So, when trying to decide on the best age to start pre-school, don't be pressured by anybody around you.  Rather, have confidence in your mothering and knowledge of your pre-schooler.

The Adventures of having 2 Under 2

Just weeks after getting home from a 6 month deployment, my husband suggested that I may be pregnant, given my recent complaints.  What?  You're crazy.  No way!  'Our plan' was to wait for a year or so and then try for a baby.  Yea, well, SURPRISE!!!

BAM!: Due Date April 9, 2008

I have to be honest, that was a tough one to swallow.  Nothing that a little bit of time couldn't handle but still tough. 

Fast forward to April 2008, my sweet little boy was born.

He was great, life was great, all was GOOD.  

One evening in October 2008, my husband I start talking about trying for another come February 2009.  I remember telling him that I wanted to get my last 13 lbs off before having another. 

BAM!: Due Date July 15, 2009

WHAT?  Two under two...even more, two under 18 months!?!?!?  Little P and Little C are 15 months apart.  I said I was excited but was actually freaking out just a little bit inside.  We were living VERY far from home with no family within any reasonable distance and my friendships were...developing.  My husband worked 14 hour days and I was going to be on my own.  During my pregnancy, I recieved so much commentary from complete strangers.  Things like:

"Oh wow!  You'll be a busy mom!"

and

"Wow, thats insane!"

Great!  Awesome!  Thank you so much for calming my fears.  What I found funny was the mom's who had two under two said things like:

"You are going to LOVE it!"

and

"I love having mine close together.  They are the best of friends!"

By the time I went into labor, I wasn't nervous anymore, just ready to get this started and get into a new routine.  What I didn't know that my little girl would be born ANGRY!  I'm talking M.A.D.  She didn't have colic, she wasn't sick, she did have an irritating diaper rash but nothing that would have explained the RIDICULOUS amount of screaming that came from that little girl!  Holy Cow, what have I gotten myself into!?!?!

SEE, she even LOOKS mad!

Anyways, after about 11 weeks of pure hell trying to keep a handle on this little girl, I was finally able to sit down and look of the logistics of the first few months.  What was it ACTUALLY like to have two under two?  Because I had been so overwhelmed by Little C's ridiculous attitude, I hadn't even realized that handling two under two was no issue at all.  In fact, I realized that it had made my life a lot simpler because I had to be more organized in order for my days to run smoothly.  Even more, because I had such a crazy daughter to handle, I didn't have time to worry and fixate over stuff that wasn't ACTUALLY important.  When it came to the practical day to day stuff, I just put them on the same routine.  They napped at the same time, went to bed at the same time, and ate at the same time.  It probably took about 8 weeks to get Little C onto his schedule but once it was done, it was great!

Now, 2.5 years later (and one more baby added...that story later) I can't say enough about having two under two.  I. LOVE. IT!  They are the absolute best of friends and they teach each other so much.  Not joking, my son potty trained my daughter!  I couldn't have asked for better spacing.  It is awesome!

So, if you are thinking about it or are pregnant with #2 and are freaking out like I did, don't.  There is nothing to worry about!  You will be amazed at the ability of your toddler to love this new sweet baby and then they could grow into the absolute best of friends...INVALUABLE!