Worried about my daughter starting pre school?

Question

I know that pre school is important for a child to get a good start in life but I just can't bring myself to let my daughter go everyday. She's my only child and she's my baby and I've never had her away from me for more than a day and I'm not sure I could bear letting her leave me everyday. She doesn't seem to have any problem with going to pre school everyday but I do. How can I let her go everyday without worrying? I need advice on how to make it easier. Please help me.

Answer 1

find something to keep you busy during the time she's gone. that's the best thing you can do for yourself

Answer 2

It sounds like you ARE going to send her, but you're just worried about how you'll handle it and about how worried you'll be while she's gone. So, good for you to stick with it and send her anyway. It's normal to worry and be nervous the first time you send your precious child somewhere without you like preschool. Just do it and after a few times, you'll stop being worried (when you see what fun she had and that everything went well for her, you'll calm down). You'll probably think about her the entire time she's at preschool, too, in the beginning. It's so hard to let them go. But rest assured that those feelings and worry you'll have will only last short time until you see by experience that it'll be okay for her. If you keep her home and don't send her, you'll just have to go through this when she starts regular school. So it's better for her and for you to make this adjustment for preschool. (But I agree with the others, if she's 3 or 4, she can just go part-time, a few days a week for a few hours a day, unless you need it as a daycare thing because you work).  

Answer 3

If she is 3 years old then just 2-3 days for 3-4 hrs a day is plenty to start with.  Anymore than that to me is just to much.  My boys only did part-time and it helped a lot and that is what the pediatrician told me she recommends is just part-time at least for the first year then work up from there but really until kindergarten they don't need to be at school everyday like that.  I would look into a part-time program only for her.  

Answer 4

call the preschool and find out what they offer for parents.  my daughter starts preschool this wen. she is ticked to death she is my little baby. But talk to them our school of choice allows parents to go and help out with the classes as many days a week we want to. you have to think i know it is hard but it is a few hours a day each day. let her go. she will be fine. as you said it is you, if you cant go to her school and hang out then set that time she is gone as mommy time take advange to child free shopping . uninterupted movie time. and if you are worrie about that preschool why did you pick that one. but think of the things you can do. heck from 12 tell after 4 i will be child free. i am 26 weeks preggy. i can take a nap go get my hair done. clean the house without chaseing her around as she is makeing a mess of things i just cleaned. just to be able to go potty without her following me will be great. you have many more years of this. it is hard and belive you me i want to cry my eyes out but she is growing up and i know she will be fine.

Answer 5

do you know the days when you say gosh i just cant wait for a break!? well there here......try to catch up on chores you let slip to pass time or pick up a hobby that having a child involved is neerly inpossible, exersise a little bit more, make a routine of things, and in no time you will be happy that you both get a break you to do woman things, and her to do little girl things, and you can catch up on your days after school, or maybe see if they offer the 3 days a week program, however i would sugest you let her go as much as possible, the way schools are teaching now is super busy and hard for the little kids if they dont get a good head start at it. Stick with it and stay strong!

Answer 6

oh, i know exactly what you're going thru. my daughter is starting preschool in two weeks.  like your girl, mine is excited and more than ready for it, but she is my one and only and i, like you, am having some problems with it. i keep hoping her excitement will wear off on me, lol.

if you're like me, you've said to yourself a million times, "just let her grow up and go do her thing."  sure, it's easy enough to say, but difficult to do, isn't it? it's not that we don't want what's best for our children, but seeing them go is pretty hard. not only does it mean our babies are growing up, but letting them loose in a world we have no control over is worrisome.

but there is no stopping time - it marches on, even if we want it to stand still so we can avoid the unhappy feelings ahead. i have been very careful not to let my worry show to my daughter - i don't want it to influence her own feelings and cause her any problems with the adjustment period she'll be going thru. i've checked out the school and gone for a walk-thru and talked to her teacher. doing that helped calm some of the fears, and i have the utmost confidence that they will be good for her. beyond that, i don't think there's a whole lot more i can do to prepare myself for it. time will help take care of it.

in the meantime,  i swallow the worries when she's around...and have a friend on speed-dial for the first day of preschool so i can call and cry on her shoulder. i also have a box of kleenex set aside, a nice sad movie to watch and some comfort food to nibble on (pepperidge farm milano cookies with ben & jerry's ice cream, lol). i figure why keep it in if i don't have to? i'm hoping a good long cry will help get me thru the day. day 1 will probably be the hardest. after that, it should get easier - as each day comes and i see she is doing well, i think it will help ease my worries until they are barely there. i know i will still worry some, no matter what i do. but as long as i don't let my worry interfere with her ability to grow up, that's okay. it just means that, like you, i love my girl with all my heart and want her to be happy and well-cared for.  

Answer 7

This is a situation where you have to think about your daughter and put her needs before your own. There is no need to worry about anything as I'm sure if there are any problems the school will call you. You'll just need to find things to fill up your time while she is gone during the day. It just takes time and you both will be able to adjust.

Answer 8

First off, I'd suggest you learned to let go now because the hours away only get longer, and the time comes when she has to go to school.

Now, if you're worried that something is going to happen to her, rest assured that she will be fine. The teachers that are watching everyone are qualified. They know what they are doing, and they aren't going to let anything happen to your child.

Now, if you are just having separation anxiety, maybe you should just think about the fact that she will be coming home in a few hours. This might be her chance to shine, or at least to excel and learn more.

It might seem like a long time from now, but in 10-11 years, she will be starting high school, learning to drive, dating boys, breaking the rules; you know.. all the regular teenage things. :) and believe me, I can remember graduating from preschool; I'm now a sophomore in high school. Even as a teenager, I realize that time often seems to fly by in the blink of an eye.

Answer 9

There are many different ways you can have her attend school. Every day half days, 2-3 full days a week, 2-3 half days a week. If you want to do the all day everyday most schools wont mind if you hang around for the first half hour or so just to make sure she is doing ok. The school I worked at had cameras in the rooms so the parents could go into the office and watch without interferring with the teachers schedule. Maybe you have a friend that works at a pre school that could keep an eye on her or I have had friends who got a job at the pre school just to make sure everything would be ok plus you usually get a discount if you work there. You could also see if they need volunteers. Dont do it unless youre comfortable with the school and teachers or you will spend all day worrying.