C'mon mama, let's play

My fun-filled days of chasing Garrett around the house are over as of tomorrow. That's when I go back to work and he goes to preschool. The plan is he'll attend school Monday through Wednesday and then hang with papa on Thursday and Friday's. But deciding on a school wasn't easy. What was better at this point for Garrett-- Montessori or a more traditional daycare setting? While everyone raves about Montessori, its philosophy is centered around helping each child grow toward independence by building confidence, competence, self-esteem and respect for others. It sees children as self-directed individuals. This early on, Garrett doesn't understand how to be self-directed. He's been in a box all his life and desperately needs structure and guidance. First, he must learn how to play, which will later help foster his imagination. (Right now, "play" for him is either lining up his toys in a neat row or cleaning.) Second, he needs to learn how to socialize with other children. Which you'd think he'd have down pat after living in an orphanage, but because his day was so structured we think he had little time for interaction with the other children. So in the end, we decided New Horizon Academy was a perfect fit. Their daily schedule is filled with lots of socializing and some learning. Our hope is Garrett will learn by simply being around other kids. The rest (we pray) will come later.

By the way, we did a trial run at the school last Thursday. Garrett screamed at the top of his lungs as we said our goodbyes (hard to see him so stressed out but was a good attachment sign nonetheless) and seemed very happy when we returned four hours later. He did need lots of hugs and laptime that afternoon so I'm expecting the same for Monday. And I'll need the same as I'll be missing my little guy too.