Moms who main stream school and Pre-K

My son had has first day of kindergarten today. He previously did preschool/pre k. It was incredibly hard and I was sad. But when I picked him up and saw his smile and heard about how much he loved his day it made me so proud and happy. I think like a lot of things in motherhood you just do it and have faith it will work out for the best.

I'm going through the EXACT same thing. My oldest is almost 3.5, I was looking into a pre-k place that seemed good but apparently there was a ton of allegations of neglect and now I'm like I'm done 🫠 I was already leaning towards homeschooling a lot but this kinda pushed me into it. From what I've heard from other people, it's really helpful to join local homeschool Facebook groups! I'm a natural introvert so it's going to be extremely hard for me 😅

I recently became a SAHM, but before I had my baby I was a teacher. I taught kindergarten and 2nd. I LOVED my students. Maybe not as much as I love my own little guy, but pretty close. I was with them most of the day. All the teachers that I taught with felt the same way. Just know that your kiddo will be loved by their teacher. That's what I'm going to tell myself when I send my own to school. 😊

Join local groups, for sure! This way you're all homeschooling together a few days a week. They have events you csn choose to be a part of. All of that. I've never found I could trust other people in the school system.

I think this is a normal feeling to have. My mother always told me that during my first week of school (in our new town, so it was more like second grade), she followed me on the walk there for a week. This was in a small town back in the 90s so things were different then, but I don't think the fear changes. We just learn to cope with it. I worry about the future. I worry about walks to the park and playdates and scraped knees and car safety and a hundred thousand accidents that can happen. I know i'll lie awake all night when she's a teenager out with her friends, until I hear her come in the door (after curfew, no doubt), and know that she's safe. Part of being a parent means letting your kids find themselves and leave their comfort zone to become their own person. It won't always be safe but it's necessary.

I went to public school and so did my husband, we are both intelligent. I wouldn't assume that those homeschooled are any smarter. They actually don't have standards for homeschooling like they do for state run facilities. It's not easy to trust others, but I trust my children. I never did daycare because they were too little to communicate if someone wasn't trustworthy. Once they start preK or Kindergarten, they're old enough to tell you what's going on at school. Our kids school has been remodeled, added security features and do drills that help me feel better about general safety. I think if you research schools in your area, visit and speak with teachers... You might feel differently. All you can do is try for the sake of learning the standard curriculum and have experience with their peers. You can still have influence on what's happening by being on PTA. You can do plenty of educational events at home or out in the community in the evening and weekends.

I can’t empathize. I was excited for all my kids to go to school.

I’ll be a SAHM soon but right now, I’m a preschool teacher. I treat the kids in my classroom like they are my own. When they are upset or something, I feel their pain and try everything that I can to help them feel better just like my own babies. My oldest is going into 3rd grade. Her school is right across the street and I didn’t have a choice but to be okay with sending her. But I’m glad I have because she absolutely loves it. She has days where she doesn’t, but she makes new friends so easily. And she’s so smart when it comes to math. I plan on homeschooling my youngest at least until he can decide for himself what he’d like to do.

My son will be 5 in October, starting preschool next month. My husband and I are excited but also nervous. But he talks about school a lot so I think he’ll love it! I’m also pregnant with baby #2, so I’ll be staying home soon again.

It’s a bit hard, esp when they are your first but you do usually get a little paper that tells about the teacher and you get a chance to meet the teacher which helps. My middle child will be starting half day preschool this year and while I don’t know her teacher yet, I know the school and feel good about it. I have always worked with my oldest’s teachers when they had issues or when they’d say she was struggling but honestly to teach her would be much harder for the both of us.

My 14 yr old we do half homeschool and half public school. She has special needs and absolutely has to have the social experience plus the electives she loves. You really can't isolate children. They will end up worse off than you meant for them to be.

@Sami I wish more schools allowed to do half and half 😩

@Annika it was a huge fight to allow it. Many dr notes and therapist notes stating its benefits to her and Herr education. Her frustrating subjects she does at home. The rest at school

@Sami its ridiculous it has to be all or nothing, there are soo many children that would benefit from something like that.

I plan to homeschool my children, and to be honest, the only opportunity I have yet to figure out how to offer them is marching band. Almost all sports and activities can be done in the community rather than through a school, or there are homeschool specific groups that offer them. My husband and I both graduated from public school (he went to catholic school through 7th grade) and we both feel as though our loves of learning and reading were squashed by the school system. We also both feel as though we have never been more tired, stressed, or overwhelmed than we were in high school

We homeschool and wait until our kids are older & ready for drop off programs. For my oldest that was 8 (he's neurodiverse). My just turned 6 year old isn't ready. We do a bi-weekly co-op, a weekly playground meetup, & a nature and science class on a local farm (that offer caregiver & child classes & drop off classes). There's also forest schools, homeschool associations that offer tons of classes, sports, clubs, and so much more. I'd reach out to your local homeschooling community & see what's available in your area!