Preschool??

I am not sure if it is because Jake is getting to that age(can't believe he will be 3 in less then 2 months) or because it is that time of year...but almost daily I am asked if we will be putting Jake in any type of preschool.

The answer is hmm...not this year. I am not sure on this one. In fact I am not even sure he will go to any kind of school ever...other then school at home.

I love having him home with me all the time. Yes, there are the days that I could use a few minutes alone at Starbucks or days when bed time can't come soon enough. But those days are few & far between. I really truly love being home with him every day all day.

We aren't just sitting around watching tv or him doing his thing while I do mine.

We spend most of our day in the play room. Of course playing, but also lots of learning. I am a total planner so we focus on a letter, color, & shape for each week.  Then do fun craft projects, cooking projects, & even some times shopping that has to do with our theme for the week. This is more because I like I having a plan for the week and doing things with him...not so much that I think he needs to learn everything now at almost three. But being at home we also have time for lots of imagination play & free play. Not to mention lots of out door exploring time too.

We have a mommy & me music class we go to on Tuesdays(so excited for the fall session to start this week), we have a play group with a few of our wonderful friends that gets together once a week, I am in a Bible study one day & Jake gets to play with lots of other kids during this time(away from me). He is in a Sunday school class with kids his age. And of course there are his cousins to play with too.

So he is definitely getting his socialization in during the week & we are getting lots of learning in too. And some of it is out of the box learning that you would never get from a classroom type setting. And a lot of the time he is with kids of different ages which I think is good too.

And then of course there is the part of me still being able to shelter him and protect him & be there for  whatever need he might have during the day.  Did I mention that I really love being with him every day?

But being asked this question so often lately has really had me thinking...should we be thinking about sending him to preschool? Is he supposed to go to preschool? The way people ask the question almost makes it seem like a requirement of childhood.

There is the side that it might be good for him to be away from me for a little while during the day(he is I am  pretty attached). After all I won't be there forever to protect him from everything. And what if we do decide to send him to school? It would probably be good for him to have some type of idea of school and being away from me before being "thrown" into kindergarten. But really wasn't it not too long ago that most children were just "thrown" into kindergarten anyway? I didn't have any type of pre anything school. Just one day I was in kindergarten.

Maybe there is too much pressure on the kids(and parents too) to know everything before they get to kindergarten. Shouldn't this time of "pre"-school be for playing and being with your mommy all day every day. There will be a time for school and being away at another age.

But really what are your thoughts on preschool? Is it necessary? Have you seen signs of huge benefit from those children who attend preschool as to those who don't?