All summer long, the promise of preschool has been motivating Jared to get potty trained. Back then, preschool seemed so far away. But dream finally became reality, and this Tuesday Jared went to his first day of preschool.
Jared's first words when he woke up on Tuesday morning were, "Is it preschool day?" He eagerly ate breakfast, found his backpack, got dressed, and waited for 9:00 when we could leave. We found a parking spot behind a familiar van and, both sporting backpacks, Jared and his friend Spencer walked across the street together for their first day of school.
The entryway was full of children and parents--many of them returning for another semester and some of them new to preschool. Jared was ready to forge straight through the crowd and into the main school room (we had come together once last spring to observe, and I think he must have remembed the cool toys). I pulled him back to greet his teacher, and she asked him to find his name by his cubby, which he quickly did. We tucked his backpack away and pinned on his name badge. At my request, he gave me a big hug and a kiss, and then ran off to join the other kids.
The program Jared is attending is one run by a local high school's child development classes. The head teacher is great, and the kids get a lot of attention from the high school students. I'd estimate that 2/3 of the children are LDS--and nearly all of those are from our ward. So Jared already has lots of friends. But we're still encouraging him to make new ones.
I'm a little sad that Jared is growing up so fast. But then again, he is so excited about preschool that it's hard not to be excited with him. I'm glad that he adapts well to new environments and enjoys new places and new people. And I'm glad that we found a good school for him to attend, with a great teacher and classmates who I know will be a good influence on him.
