ahh, preschool

Third child, third preschool. Lots of people really gung-ho about this one (it's a partial co-op, so I guess you have to be) ... and me, I'm feeling like I'm doing everything all wrong, can't get the hang of it, and am annoying folks at every turn.

(Now, I recognize that my social paranoia is coming out, and I'm overreacting. Nevertheless, I was really bothered by it, until I realized a couple of things.)

The first thing I realized is that of course I can't get the hang of this one. It is, as I say, my third preschool. Been there, done that, spent the enthusiasm already. I'm looking at this more as a place that we're drifting through for a couple of years than as a pivotal place in our lives ... which, I realize, shortchanges Veronica's experience a bit. So a bit of an attitude adjustment needed there.

The second thing I realized, though, occurred to me as I was mentally reviewing my previous experiences. Greyson's preschool teachers seemed daunting to me - they seemed great with the kids, not so great with the parents. (Same with Veronica's.) Charles's teachers seemed overly jolly, as if we were all preschoolers, and the one who did the most dealing with the parents was timid and a bit reactionary, putting my back up more than once. I never enjoyed all the paperwork, and never was a big fan of all the little rules and things, of which this newest one has many. Many.

(It's also quite possible that I'm spoiled now that I've been exposed to the High Plain atmosphere, where by and large teachers and parents seem to be on an equal footing, speaking to each other as peers and colleagues more than as teacher and subordinate. Which is generally how I feel looked upon by the preschool teachers - like I'm some kind of inadequate new parent.)

So I think it boils down to that I like older kids better than younger ones, older kids' schools better than older ones, never did get the hang of being a preschool parent, but I have two years left and an expectation (requirement, even) to be an active preschool parent so I'd better suck it up and stop taking it all so personally. After all, it's about Veronica, and she deserves a great experience.