School Daze

I spent four years in college helping my friend make his class schedule each semester to ensure he would graduate on time-or at least within a few years of "on time"-to his parents, I say, your welcome. I would pick 15-18 hours of required and elective education, and inevitably, he would drop down to 9. As the mommy of a 7 1/2 month old baby, I am surprised to find myself in a similar situation today that is giving me major flashbacks-not the good kind. Did you know that there are pre-school classes that being when a child is 15 months? Yeah, I didn't either until a few weeks ago. So I hustled over to the school for my required class obversation in order to get Fish's name on the list for registration. It wasn't nearly as fun as figuring out college credits over a drink and going to a party afterwards-I had to find a babysitter, figure out if my outfit mattered and then plaster a huge smile on my face as I drove 45 minutes across city traffic to make sure I didn't miss a minute of sandbox time. Of course the class was adorable and I ended up knowing a good amount of parents attending with their 15-24 month olds, but I have to admit, I felt a little ridiculous each time they asked how old Fish is now. I'm not intentionally seeking out schooling for my newborn, I swear! I will love him with all of my heart even if he's the only kid who doesn't know sign language or fluent Spanish before his first birthday. I'm not that person. I do however need the adult contact that you get from taking mommy and me's with your son or daughter and because Fish is currently an only child, I love that he has a chance to socalize with other kids his age as many times a week as possible. Talking Elmo is a toy, not a friend. I just don't know that I was prepared for the stresses that come with early education and playtime. Apparently, you have to sign up for music classes two months in advance and one teacher is terrible while the other is "the teacher" to get-even in the 6 month old class. G-d forbid should Fish have to listen to a teacher that pauses too long between songs. I haven't decided if this stress is a product of being a new mom because I can admit, when you are in that role, you pretty much have no idea what you're doing. We're all just trying to make sure that our children get the most out of their class time whether it be educational or social. So if that means that I have to freak out because Miss Ann, our favorite music teacher, doesn't have her January schedule online yet, so be it. I'm just trying to guarantee that Fish stays engaged for the 45 minutes we sing in class once a week. Ultimately, this all probably just freaks me out because he's my baby. Every parent tells me that time flies and soon he'll be going off to kindergarten, then high school and, glup, college-tear. He can barely sit up on his own and they have me thinking about what to get him for graduation! I have to go now-I'm going to Google homeschooling.