Countdown to Preschool

Your child may be registered for preschool, but is he ready?

The Roller Coaster of Emotions

Before our first son, Gus, turned 3, my husband and I began shopping for preschools. We asked around, looked around and explored every option. The school we finally settled on seemed like a dream: The building was new, the classes were small, and the teachers were warm and experienced. Moreover, the playground and activities looked like so much fun, I wanted to go there myself!

Too bad Gus didn't. The day preschool began, I had to push his protesting body forward. My heart was pounding and my mind spinning -- with guilt, anxiety and sadness. Maybe he's too young for this, I worried, as Gus wriggled behind me and clung to my legs. What if he hates it, or the teachers are too strict? I wondered, hugging my tearful son.

Just then, the teacher came over and lured Gus inside. It wasn't until two hours later -- when I picked him up and saw a huge grin -- that I began to relax. I knew he'd love it, I thought to myself proudly as we headed back home.

Was it a roller coaster of emotions? Absolutely. But that's totally normal for parents and children alike, according to Barbara Willer, Ph.D., deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Washington, D.C. "For many children, going to preschool is their first big experience being away from home," she explains. And even kids who've been in childcare have to adjust to a new place, new leader, new rules and new peers. "Think of how most adults would feel in that situation and you can imagine how stressful it is for a child," says Willer.

Not to mention Mom. "You may worry about him missing you, staying safe, making friends, having fun and getting along with the teacher," notes Polly Delson Fine, lead preschool teacher at the Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Then again, your child may leave you in the dust as he jumps full force into this brave new world. Either way, there's a lot you can do to make sure day one goes off without a hitch. The trick: start preparing your child with sound bites -- a little info at a time, and not too far in advance. "Three- and 4-year-olds don't have the ability to anticipate and plan for a distant future," says Lilian Katz, Ph.D., director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Plus, they need time to process new information. So there's no reason to start building up preschool months in advance." For most children, she adds, a two-week countdown is plenty. Here's how to use that time wisely.

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“ Buy a pedometer to keep track of how many steps you take daily. Wear it every day, around home, work, and while exercising. You'll burn roughly 100 to 125 calories by taking 2,500 steps (about one mile). ”

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• Quiz: Match the Celebrity With the Cause

While on leave, my Marine buddy and I met two nursing students from Southern California. After chatting them up awhile, the conversation turned to what we did in the service. When we told them we were in the infantry, the girls seemed very impressed, giving us big smiles as they told us how sweet that was. Since infantry and sweet are seldom used in the same sentence, I was a little confused. Until, that is, one of the girls said, "We admire any man who works with infants."

-- Taeven Thompson