Children learn, regardless of who teaches them. They learn the best when they feel secure, happy and confident that they were placed in an environment supported and encouraged by their parents. Children are adaptable creatures and easily find themselves involved and immersed in their new environment: School.
For most parents, this new stage is a welcomed stage but it can and does come with legitimate anxieties and questions: Will my child be okay? What if he/she has a tantrum, will the teacher know how to calmly handle the situation? Will the kids in class treat my child with respect and include them? Will they make friends? Will they actually learn and is it worth it (preschool can be expensive!). The aforementioned worries and questions are what most parents go through, especially for a first born. By the second and third child, parents welcome the school stage and have older siblings to model after. Routines are already set and the younger ones feel excited to enter this new big boy/girl stage of going to school. For the first born, things take time, for both parents and the child. The child has to adapt at their own pace and be given the chance to slowly accustom themselves to this new change, friendships with peers and listening to other adults.
For parents, the art of letting go has its emotional highs and lows. it is important to understand and realize your particular emotions to let go without feeling fearful, guilty, sad, afraid, etc.
Emotional Highs for Parents Include Knowing:
- The child is in a safe, structured environment with qualified teachers who will guide them.
- The child will be around peers and be able to make age-appropriate friends
- Parents have free time to invest in work, hobbies, focus on a younger child/ren
- Parents and Child are on a structured schedule with pick up and drop off times
Emotional Lows for the parents can include:
- Worrying about the child's safety, development, treatment, learning difficulties
- If the child expresses they don't like preschool or refuse to go
- The child starts to display odd behavior
- Not knowing what to do with your time away from the child, or how to deal with issues that arise
In order to let go successfully, parents have to understand and know what resources are available to them. They must also keep open communication with the teachers so their emotional lows can be addressed and slowly start to disappear. The art of letting go at any age for a parent is an emotional stage and it is okay to feel the emotions and to acknowledge them so the outcome can be successful for both you and the child.
