Our first year...

Our first year of being one of "those homeschool families"  has come to a close.

What a year it has been, full of fun and frustration.

I've started our story several times, erased it several times, and yet again am attempting to tell our story.

It's a tale to be told in a few parts, as it began to get quite wordy...

My husband and I sent W. to preschool as all good suburban parents do at the tender age of 3.  With a new baby and two full time jobs, we thought it was a great idea.

Two mornings a week, he went off into a room full of children who were 3 as well.

Then it began...

"Mommy why isn't the green monster in school anymore."

We figured out that "the green monster" was a fellow classmate who was kicked out for behavioral reasons.

"Ann said it was okay...his mom gives him XYZ all the time."

Fill in the blank with all sorts of things W. was not allowed to have/ watch/ do.

Somehow he finished the year having done 100 crafts all with hand prints.

Summer came and went...we started noticing him having difficulty with things his now 18 mo sister could do.

Utensils, dressing, shoes...all mysteries to our dear W. but our little C. was able to do each task with ease.

We could no longer ignore these delays...I began to worry.

We signed him up for 4 year old school.

I began working on each of these tasks carefully.  Each outfit was picked based on simple ease of getting it on.

During the summer, W. also began wearing a brace on his chest to help his ribs grow correctly as his were growing too fast for the rest of his body and caused a dangerous protrusion.

I called the school to inform the teacher about it.  I had fears that he'd tell her we squished him, tied him up...or otherwise.  She never called us back.

Lack of communication should have been a warning light.

I asked if there were parent/teacher conferences...after all I'd like to know how he was doing.

Denied...

Until one day when I got a notice about parent teacher conferences the next week (thanks for the heads up...working parents need more time to rearrange schedules.)

W. broke his leg and he was out of school for a month since they couldn't (wouldn't) accomadate for him.

Snow days and cancellations caused it to be pushed back to after Christmas break.

Finally, at drop off she said she'd speak to me.

She announced that she thought it best for him to spend another year at preschool.  She was certain he had fine motor delays and language delays (side note...I'm a speech therapist for early intervention...his language was fine...he just chose not to obey...a big difference that a preschool teacher should be able to tell the difference between.)

also...

HE HAD TOO VIVID OF AN IMAGINATION

(Insert image of the citysister with her jaw on the floor.)

Calmly I asked...isn't an imagination a good thing?

He never went back to school.

We began homeschool immediately.

To be continued....