In only two short weeks, he will attend his first session at nursery. We spent lots of time researching different options in our area, visiting the nurserys and choosing the one we thought would best suit our little boy. Dylan will join the preschool unit in a local nursery and spend 15 hours of his week with 26 other children who, just like him, will start school next year.
Many of his friends already attend and I have heard only good things. We looked round and Dylan fitted right in, getting stuck in with puzzles, chatting to the staff and not wanting to go home at the end of our visit. He is sociable, friendly and confident and I have no worries that he won't slot in. We have daily questions about when he can start, he is desperate to follow his friends through the blue gates and when we do the nursery run to pick up a friend's son once a week, he loudly tells anyone who will listen that this will soon be his nursery too.
He is ready, well and truly ready. He wants more, he wants different and he wants to be with other people his size. I, however, am a little nervous. For three years, he has been with me. I have left him with family and carefully selected friends. I have chosen every child that he plays with, am aware of every game he knows, every word he can say, and when he cries, I am there to dry the tears.
Nursery will mean other people get to see my little boy, have a say in how he thinks, what he learns and how he plays. They will witness a side of him that I never will. and I am sad that this period of his childhood is about to end. He will be starting in slowly, doing two 9-12 morning sessions per week over the summer holiday to make childcare arrangements easier, and then taking his 15 hour free quota from September.
It is a big move for my little boy, but one which he is ready for, and one which I need to be ready for too.
It's such a big step, isn't it? Although I often think it's a bigger step for us than it is for them. Just like Dylan, my little man is more than ready to start and will absolutely adore it, I know he will. But for us mummies, its a first time really letting them go, and that's a weird and tough thing for us to do. It'll definitely be easier for us knowing how happy they'll be. x
ReplyDeleteGood luck Dylan and mummy! He will love it - Oliver started nursery just before his second birthday when I went back to work full time and I grew to love him coming home with new words, mannerisms and songs (I especially love the songs!) which I didn't know he knew and haven't taught him. Thankfully he hadn't learnt anything bad yet haha! x
ReplyDeleteIt is such a difficult time, as they take another step towards independence. Ours too have been more than ready, which has meant as they go leaping and bounding in I've been left wondering why yhere are tears in my eyes. We had so many laughs though, not least because they learn Welsh, the OH had no idea and was getting concerned about the 'gobbledegook' which Seren was coming home chanting.
ReplyDeleteI hope it goes as well as it can for you and look forward to reading about Dylan's adventures. x
I was so nervous about LL and Mads going to nursery and it did take a while for them to settle in but now they are both so happy and absolutely love going, in fact they skip off without even a second glance to me. It's such a big step but definitely worth it. x
ReplyDeleteThey grow up so fast! I was more upset than Bob when she started nursery. She settled straight away. It's hard to let go but they get so much out of it. xx
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've found a wonderful nursery. I know my situation is slightly different; working has meant my two doing three days a week since they were quite tiny but I can say hand on heart that I love seeing how much Kitty gets out of her nursery days, she really thrives on the change in scene and they do so many things that logistics of scale mean I could never do at home with just the three of us!
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