Preschool

The question is...is it beneficial to send your child to preschool? Up until now I have always thought society nowadays seems to be rushing children into adulthood. It seems that many children are growing up too fast with little time to actually be a child. My goal was to work with my children at home and teach them everything they needed to know before they started kindergarten. Preschool was not even an option for me. My opinion changed when I started looking at my 3 1/2 year old social and intellectual skills. I noticed how much he loves playing with other children. He is so full of life and happy when he's around his friends. He also does very well learning at home and I think preschool will challenge him. I started interviewing preschools and found out what it's all about at age 3. The most important thing at that age is learning how to socially interact with others. By social interaction, one will learn how to wait patiently until it's their turn, how to share with others and how to listen. One will learn how to empathize and share emotions with other children. Social interaction helps develop personalities and character. Obviously another important aspect of preschool is learning academics. You will learn basic math skills, phonics and reading through activities and songs. Preschool studies have shown that most children academically do very well in school and most become very successful in life. An article I found very interesting is http://www.socyberty.com/Activism/Fourteen-Benefits-of-Preschool-Education..8169 It is up to the parents to decide what is best for their child. I am learning that how I wanted to raise my children, may not benefit them in the long run. Obviously as parents, we all want the very best for our children. I am learning to be more selfless and open minded every day. Alex starts his first day of preschool tomorrow. I wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor and I look forward to watching him learn every day.