Doesn’t a manicure and pedicure sound nice right about now? Or what about a massage?
I used to hear the term “Mothers Day Out” and assumed it was an opportunity for Mommy to drop off Baby and have some much needed “me” time…insert {massage, mani’s, pedi’s, shopping at Nordstrom, or a morning at the spa}. Now that I’m actually a mom and things like education, socialization, and preparation for school are important, I find myself looking at Mothers Day Out with a new set of glasses on.
I’m a stay at home mom and believe that my son is best served in our home. My husband and I are in agreement that me being at home with our son during these early years versus him being in a preschool environment at this age means nothing for his future… The University of Texas is not out of reach and as long he’s progressing and walks, talks, and chews on his first day of Kindergarten we are A-OKAY. We feel that these early years are years we can never get back and will never have the opportunity to duplicate.
BUT, since Lincoln hit the age of 18 months we’ve noticed an enormous transformation in our son. He watches other children, is more active, finally walks 100% of the time, and is longing for something I can’t provide him at home… Social interaction. While my husband and I recognize a need for something more than an “at home environment”, we still don’t believe he needs to be in a daycare or preschool environment M-F, 8-5. {Here’s a Picture of Lincoln a couple of weeks ago… it took him about 10 minutes of watching the other children play and run through the fountain before he got gutsy enough to try it himself.}
Aaaaah, I get it now…Mothers Day Out (MDO)=transition between the home and preschool. Lincoln’s not ready for school 85% of his awake hours (he doesn’t tell me so, but it’s my justification), daddy’s not ready to come home to an empty house, and mommy most certainly isn’t ready to relinquish full care responsibility rights! MDO is perfect, because Lincoln will be there only on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 1 pm. We were ready to start MDO at 18 months, but unfortunately, we hit some road blocks.
Problems:
-Finding a MDO close to Lakeway.
-Most MDO’s have a wait list.
-Most MDO’s require your child to be 18 months as of Sept. 1st and Lincoln therefore wouldn’t qualify until this coming fall semester.
-Most MDO’s won’t accept children mid-year.
So Wesley and I had to settle on the fact that Lincoln won’t be starting MDO until September. No big deal except now he’s 21 months and we are chomping at the bit!!! Even though we feel these are “years we can’t duplicate”, we don’t want to hinder our child’s success. Our goal is 1-2 years of MDO before going to a M-F 1/2 day preschool option. And the Mother’s Day Out program we chose is definitely a preschool environment versus a daycare environment. Alas, we are looking to fill Lincoln’s time with summer camps, swim lessons, etc. between now and his school start date in September.
Sure, I may get a mani or pedi when Lincoln is at school and possibly even hit Nordstrom here and there, but for the most part I’ll make use of my time and get things that aren’t productive for Lincoln out of the way like grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and any doctor appointments I may have.
I’m excited to hear about Lincoln’s progress once he starts MDO and I’m eager to see his transformation as a little preschooler! I know we made the right choice for me to stay home with Lincoln and I know we are making the right choice for Lincoln to go into a Mother’s Day Out program.
So is school really needed before Kindergarten? Yes and no, in my opinion. I think if I was better about play dates and filling Lincoln’s time with extracurricular activities, he’d be okay without MDO. Or maybe if I was a better teacher he’d be okay. Who knows? All I know is…… Tick Tock…… Is it September yet?
What preschool or Mother’s Day Out program does your child attend? Why did you choose it?
Here are my two cents. I have two daughters, 3.5 and 5.5 and I can say without hesitation that putting them into a program early on was really really beneficial. Ava, my eldest was the PERFECT child…born that way…(ask Vanessa, she was Ava’s 1st babysitter too!) …but then, at around 18 Months, she began to get “antsy” and anxious, and while I would be editing video in my home office… I could hear her starting to sass back our babysitter who would come watch her during the day. I finally concluded that she was just bored with her daily routine and needed more stimulation. So we put her in a little Montessori school… half day… and boy did those hours fly. I would drop her off… get back home.. work for a little bit and then have to go right back and get her.
So it wasn’t exactly for my benefit… I could’ve just kept her at home and had more time to work. But what we did notice IMMEDIATELY was that her little brain just exploded. She started to talk more, She was developing cognitively at lightening speed and the only thing I can attribute it to was the program. That being said, I do think there is a difference between Day Care, and a Day school like we had her in. Much more structure, a schedule of activities to stimulate her senses, and improve her verbal skills. It did come at a price though, but it was a price my hubs and I felt was worth it.
When #2 came along, it was like groundhog day… at 18 months… the fussing began and we knew it was time to take her to school. That was harder for me because I knew she was my last and i wanted to keep her at home longer, but I knew it was what was best for her. And like her sister, she began to advance in her speaking and other behaviours. good luck in your choice!
Dax goes to The Goddard School in Cedar Park. He goes on Tuesdays/Thursdays all day long. We started him in January when I had ankle surgery, mainly as a means for us to have some help while I recovered. We think dwindled him down to the above days/times as a means for him to have more socialization and for him to be BUSY! He’s such an active guy, that he thrives in busy, social activities, and has done REALLY well in pre-school since enrolling him. I also run two businesses from home, and those two days allow me to catch up on work child free, which is a much needed necessity in order for my businesses to remain successful. I think it works for some people and for others it doesn’t. It depends on the family dynamics ;o)
J is starting Primrose next month, 5 days a week. I may pull him out one day a week so we can have time together, just us. But I’m a far better mother when I can go to work, feel like I used my brain and then go home clear-headed to my son. Plus he’s a social butterfly and I think he’s getting bored of our routine at home!