Tuesday, April 15, 2008

just another example of my cheapness ...

So now that Dizzle is fast approaching the ripe old age of three, I am often asked, "Where are you sending her to preschool in the fall?" And what is my answer, "Nowhere. She's not going to preschool." I know, I know. Please lift your jaw off the floor. It's really not as shocking as it seems. There are two simple reasons that J and I have chosen not to send her (or Doodle for that matter). 1. It is MAD expensive. 2. We don't really think it is necessary.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think preschool is evil (maybe unnecessarily competitive, but not evil). I went to preschool. J went to preschool. But that doesn't mean our kids have to. Seriously, I used to ride in the back of pickup trucks when I was young, but there is no chance in Hell that I am going to let them do that either. Simply put, times change and just like everything else you have to do what is best for you (and your family).

Most people do send their kids to preschool, and that's fine. And I'm sure there are lots of good reasons as to why. Maybe it's to give their kids a head start (socially or academically), to give themselves some free time, or just because that's what you're supposed to do. But whatever the reason, I'm cool with it. It's just not what I want to do.

And though I have made my choice, I do not want to continually have to defend it. It really is simple. My girls get plenty of social interaction. We have play dates. They take classes. I'm all about them trying new things and stretching their imaginations. And honestly, I'm not the slightest bit concerned that they will somehow be "behind" when they start Kindergarten. Last time I checked, for only speaking three words when she turned two, Dizzle has quite the extensive vocabulary now and quite a fondness of using it endlessly. She can count to twenty and knows her ABC's and can identify most letters by sight. I'm not saying she's a super-genius. I'm just saying that she is by no means "behind," nor will I let her get that way. I read to my children constantly. We play "school," where we learn the basics in a very similar way to that of a traditional preschool. I feel that I take all the necessary steps to enrich their lives.

So there it is, all laid out for you to digest. But if you still can't figure out why I don't want to send my children to preschool, then just blame it on the fact that it is MAD expensive and I am super cheap!

1 comment:

gba_gf said...

Tonia- I chose to send my son to Kindergarten at the age of 4 years and 11 months. I still have to defend this, because the trend is to keep your kids back. People say it to me all the time, "I held XY back because I wanted him to have another year of preschool so he would have an advantage". To which my response has become, "Oh that's too bad, is he not very bright?" or, "Oh, my XY reads chapter books, so I felt he already had an advantage". (its bitchy, I know) I just wanted to say, prepare to defend yourself 100 times between now and when she goes to grade K. I think it's important to remind those women/mothers/nosy people who don't know how to MYOB that you stay home to be with Dizzle(?), so you can mold her education. And don't worry, eventually you will come up with your own bitchy come back.