FEARS

so we have a few fears about adeline starting preschool. here's a few. i'm sure we'll add onto this as the date draws closer.

• she will say her name is BUBBA, as my dad has taught her. as in, i'm big bubba, my sister is little bubba & i even call my gram-mum bubba. (my dad says he's merely tapping into our west virginian roots...let's instead tap into the scottish roots? or maybe the german?)
  
• her first full sentence in preschool will involve some sort of shit, hell, damn, etc...since she doesn't so much repeat the sounds or words we say, we have become accustomed to still swearing a bit around her.
• adeline will quickly develop a more intense urge to be fashionable. i mean, you should have seen what the older girls were wearing at that elementary schoool! i know it was the first day of school so the kids wanted to look good & all, but we can't afford a new wardrobe! i'm hoping they still allow sweatpant-ish pants & leggings. b/c that's most of addy's winter wardrobe.
• that adeline will decide mid-morning to take all her clothes off. then hide them. then run around the school laughing & hiding like she does at home.
• since addy is so much easier to pronounce than adeline, i fear her full name (my favored name) will become obsolete.
  
• that i will not have the will power NOT go to starbucks on the way home, after dropping her off, with amelia sleeping in her car seat.
• i like being early or, if need be *sigh* on time. is this possible every day? what if we're late, constantly. is this okay in preschool?
• THAT I WILL FORGET TO PICK HER UP... hello, mrs. gerbick. yea? it's noon & we've found adeline a lunch, but is it possible for you to pick her up now, 2 hours late? *expletive*
• she will toot/fart/whatever you call it, laugh, then say something about 'i shoot ducks' (again, thanks dad)
• other parents will glare at us b/c *omg* those are the parents who pretend their kid has tree nut allergies, which means we can't let our kids have tree nuts in here, *GOSH* how annoying.
• will adeline like her preschool teacher more than her mama? unlikely, but still, a fear.
• amelia will decide that SHE wants to attend preschool NOW.
• they readily give out scissors & told us this already. adeline will have scissors at her disposal. should i tell them about my sister & i cutting my hair with scissors at this same age? that's why we don't have kid scissors, folks.
• adeline will get bullied on the playground. come on, this has to be every parent's fear. a year ago, addy would've put the smack down on that kid. now, she's a bit more reserved & fearful of other kids (all experts say b/c of her speech delay = change in personality).

what am i looking forward to about her going off to preschool?

• time with amelia, by ourselves

• time to grocery shop with only one kid!

• adeline making friends, learning about life without her parents & family around.

• more positive adult role models in her life. these preschool teachers are *AMAZING* (i think adeline has missed out a bit by staying at home with me nearly all the time. i mean, we have playgroups & she goes to the gym day care for a few hours a week (okay, she used to, pre-harold discovery) but i'm excited for her to interact with others, sans mama bear lurking.

i like that she's growing up. it's sad & going so fast, yes, but it's good b/c that's life, right? really, how else are wes & i going to enjoy being emtpy-nesters in 20 years if they don't grow up?! we have plans, my girls, plans for the no-kid gerbicks, plus 20 years. i'm sure we'll miss them as we're hiking in africa. visiting historical sights around the world. doing only 3 loads of laundry a week. we are enjoying the life cycle, that's all.

anyway. any fears of preschool or the life cycle you'd like to share?