Saturday, February 23, 2008

Preschool Life

Mommy sent me to preschool right when I turned one year old. Before that, I really didn't have much memories of what went on during the first year of my life. From what Mommy told me, it was mostly sleeping, drinking milk, sitting, flipping, crawling and walking. Of course Mommy took me to Little Gym when I was four months old, and from then, I was also doing forward rolls and back flips (with the help of mommy and daddy).
Life was always easy at home. I knew my parents' weaknesses. I had my way with them. A simple cry, or tantrum, I knew they would give up. That was then. My life changed when I started going to preschool.
I had to learn to feed myself, walk independently, and obey all classroom rules. Everything was according to the class schedules. We had snack time, nap time, play time and reading time. It was tough for me to adjust at first, and I would always cry whenever I was dropped off. Somehow, Mommy and Daddy didn't bother to take me home, instead they just said thank you to the teachers and left. Everyday I would count my minutes until I see them opening the classroom door and take me home. It was horrible. I wanted to express myself but no one would understand me. Why am I here?
Sooner or later, I realized that I wasn't the only one here. Other parents would drop off their kids too. Some seemed sad like me, but some seemed very happy. They were playing with their friends and enjoying their time at school. Hmm... I figured if I have to be here all day, I might as well find a way to "survive" this. I started making friends. I started to pay attention to what the teachers are teaching me. I started to have fun!
As I moved on to each class, I learned how to drink water/juice from a cup. I was able to hold crayons properly with the right grip. I was able to learn to play with different toys and sing different songs. I was socializing in school, participating in school's Halloween parade, and even taking part in my very first Christmas performance. Can you believe that?
And now, I believe I am a big boy now. The teachers are training the big boys to potty train. Soon, I won't even need diapers. We are learning our ABCs, colors, days of the week, learning all the fun characters like Thomas the Train, Bob the builder, Barney...It is a great feeling to be able to go to school and have my friends come up to me and say, "Good morning Justin", "Hi Justin". It is a wonderful feeling.