HELP! Only five months left with my "baby" before he goes to school!:(

All moms go through this not to worry we all survive it too. From Kindergarten to College it is very tramatic. I would suggest since he has not been in a preschool setting that perhaps you start off with baby steps so to speak and take him to a daycare or summer program a few times a week. At first just for an hour or two and work your way up to the day. This way he does not go through seperation anxiety when he is pushed away all day long. I think it will help you too getting used to being apart a little at a time verses suddenly being away from him all day. Your time with him won't stop trust me. You will have before and after school, weekends, holidays and summer vacation. Believe it or not there will be a day you catch yourself saying I can't wait for him to go back to school*L* For now though take those baby steps and just remember you will always be his mommy and no one will change that!

You could always consider homeschooling if you are afraid to leave your son. I do recommend that if he has never been anywhere to get him involved with stuff. Anything involving lots of interaction with other children. Camp (even if it is a one hour a day camp), church (if you go, or even if you aren't against him going to Sunday school), sports...to name a few. I have seen many kids who were never exposed get thrown into school and are completely frightened, scared and don't do well. Some adapt well but you have to consider the odds there. Please don't dwell on what you may or may not have done in the past. From what you are saying it sounds like you tried hard to be a good mommy and that is great! You can't change the past and your son still loves you so don't worry about it now! Just concentrate on your future with him and make sure that you can be proud of that. And remember that all moms need a little mommy time and you deserve to "send him away" every so often. If you only do it when you really are busy then you are not hurting him. Good luck! My son is in his first year of kindergarten (only half day) this year and he enjoys it, though he says he would rather go back to preschool where it was more fun!!

The first day of all day school will most likely be rougher on you than on your child. Plan now to not spend the day alone. Invite a friend over for the day. At the end of the day, when your child returns home, sit down and listen. Your child will be bringing home all kinds of new and interesting stories for you.

You are just being a mother :) and a good one at that. If you didn't worry I would tell someone to take your child lol. Just kidding. Really though, I am 25 and my mother still worries about me, she is just doing her "job" so to speak. I am not big on "preaching" here, I am spiritual, but I know not everyone is. But, I will tell you what I would do. Have faith that God will take care of your child. If you don't believe in God, just be the best mother you can be. :) Best of luck to you, jenn.

i can understand your feelings but dont you thing that you are doing this jsut for the betterment of him. you have to take this decision and he too needs to grow like other kids ,make friends ,learn ,gain knowledge, etc. so dont worrry for now and jsut leaev everything to almighty.He will take care of your son.

you dont have to worry he will be fine and there is always time for you to spend when he comes home and on the weekendsits not like he is never going to see you again i know how you feel but its better on the kid soon he'll be in collage,

Aww sweety..it wil be ok..my son went to preschool when he was 3..and he went 5 hours a day and he loved it..I tooo was scared and felt the same way..but ya know all that worrying and stressing out ..was for nothing,turns out that he had a blast..and made many new friends..and loved his teacher,,and learned so much..now hes 4 and he went again this year,,and hes gone the same amount of time..next year he wil go to Kindergarden as well..and i have no worries..i will know he will be having fun and learning..and when he comes home i will see him and play and all that..so dear have no worries.,he will have lots of fun..the first week or 2 he may be tired..but it wil be normal..and he may be cranky too..again it will be totally normal..he wil just need to adjust..

This is a natural part of letting your children grow .We as parents are continually questioning ourselves as to if we did this right or if we did that right.Your little one is just moving into the next phase of their lives and undoubtally you have done a marvelous job just by spending those years you have with him are so important not only for him but for you too as a parent. I have five children and they have gone through many stages in their lives the hardest by far is when the time comes for them to leave home and make their own life .They are then out of your hands but in your heart you know you have to set them free.You do not stop worring or caring for them but it`s in a different way . For you it`s time to find another interest to fill your day even if that means a part time job while he is at school and being there for him when school is out .It`s time to think of mum now .The day he starts school you will be so sad and lonely in the past i have found it really helpful to meet with your friends and go for coffee or lunch somewhere keep yourself occupied and the time will pass really quickly.Try not to show your emotions infront of him otherwise it may upset him and make his days at school really hard be as positive as you can and it will be a great experience for both of you . I wish you all the best for that time

All parents go through this. It is hard, but we do get through it. You will probably cry the first day, but then you will learn to get use to it. All I can say is when school ends, greet him with open arms and spend time with him then. Make the most out of it. Here where I live, we have full day and half day kindergarten. The full day was all filled up so my daughter is going hal day. She was in pre-k though this year, so I have a little idea already what it's going to be like. Be strong. ALl will be fine.

Jennifer you are experiencing what every loving mom has gone through, especially with a first child. First day in school could be quite traumatic for the mother, but more so for the child. Don't worry as you will soon be happy to see your child starting to enjoy school and new friends and learning things outside of the home. Try to grow up with him and guide him. Keep an interest on his everyday life to keep the bond and reassure him of your love and care.

My son will be startng kindergarten in August too, I'm sad about it, but he is so excited. I don't let hom see me sad about it or he would get worried that maybe it's not such a cool thing. Evryone keeps saying but you still have one at home (he'll be 3 by then), but it's still so hard! I've been making every day with him at home as fun as I can and enjoying our time together before he goes off to "the real world" lol So I know how you are feeling!

No its not selfish, and i think that our little ones going to school is harder on us than it is on the kids...ease him and yourself into some sort of play group...why not talk to the teacher and volunteer one day a week? I did this when my baby was in kindergarten, the teacher appreciated it and hannah loved it... (hey, my baby is 10 and i hate to see her grow up lol) hang in there, you will always be their mom :-)

You better hurry up and figure out how to make this right for HIM. It sucks sending them off into the world without being behind them to offer support. I cried the whole walk home when my son got on the bus and headed off to kindergarten (he chose to ride the bus and we drove to the school so I could walk him to class). It's hard, it's hard, it's hard. But it's harder on them and our discomfort makes it worse. When Ben came home, the first thing he asked me was if I was ok. He knew I was upset and he thought about me all day. I thought I hid it well. I was smiling and encouraging and supportive, but our children know when we are full of you-know-what!!! Not only that, but the 3-1/2 year old sister saw my emotions so I gave her something to worry about, because she was already asking where her brother was (he got tackled at the door upon returning). Now he is 13 and he doesn't need me to walk him anywhere. He doesn't remember when he did. The time you're going through is really the time for us. We need them more than they need us, if that makes any sense. I think you should check out putting him in some sort of Head Start. An hour or so a day, a few days a week, will definitely help BOTH of you.

What you are experiencing is very normal. When my youngest began a full day of school in first grade, I remember feeling the exact same feelings. To compensate for it, I applied for a job with my school district and ended up working in my kid's school periodically. I got to work while she was in school, made some money and I kept myself busy so I wouldn't miss her so much.