yes:
~ he’s susu trained
~ speaks english
~ thinks there’s life outside of TV
~ competes with 5 year olds
~ i trust the playschool (friendly small school, one teacher ten kids ratio)
~ i need the break from my kids
~ firstborn goes to the same school
~ my Dad says yes
~ life in KL is rather isolated unlike life in chennai
No:
~ ma says no.
~ the mmmim says no
~ he’s only 2.5 years old
~ school is 4 hours long
~ too early
~firstborn went only after he turned three
before i came here to chennai for a visit i was convinced i would wait till he turned three; now i think he is ready. help.
Twopointthree kids, sixpointsix ideas on raising them 
i sent mine when he turned three… even though i was working full-time, because i thought that was the right age… and no one dared to give me their opinion 🙂
actually. i am the one shopping around for opinions…on the one hand…three does seem like the turning point milestone age
let him decide. send him for a week and see.
Goosh just loved it once he got over the seperation anxiety – which lasted all of a few days only. he got to play with kids his age everyday, rather than me or the maid 😉
for him, its not “school”. it where he goes to play with his friends.
this sounds perfect. so I dont have to think it’s “permanent” in case i have any (residual) seperation anxiety, myself
oh, btw, we started Goosh off slow. 1 hr the first week. Then 2 hrs. Then 3 hrs, then 4 by the end of the first month. you can try that out for baby param and see how he reacts.
thanks richa. this idea sounds great.
Sent mine at 2.5 though her playschool is only 2 hours as compared to the four hours which you state…but for him it will be FUN! send him and let him enjoy
R’s MOM: another mum who speaks in favour. okay. thanks
Gosh and I thought u would not write anymore from Chennai…(referring to your last post)
You should send him bcoz:
1) he is 2nd born and being that he is naturally more mature and he’ll handle himself really well in school
2) he is much more confident than first born….I have seen the competitive streak in him
3) the school is really nice and you are sure of the teachers etc; plus you have first born to keep an eye on him
4) I am a 2nd born and went to school earlier than when my brother had joined school. I turned out OK, and hey we 2nd born kids want to see what all the fuss is all about…and yes we are more stronger and confident than the first borns !!!
Go baby param !!!
BTW: we should stop calling him ‘baby’ param….and just stick to ‘param’. he’s getting ready for school after all
nope. he will be a baby.
and we’ll be the embarrassing aunts who will call him “baby” until he turns 45 🙂
rofl!
i still am “paaapa” for my grandaunt. even my little finger isnt paapa-ish
i forget that you are a secondborn. how is your secondtobeborn doing?
i read only two lines :
1.baby param can communicate well -with others in and to you about whats happening in school
2. you need a break
3 is a good age, 4 hrs seems long, but the 2.5 year old will be able to tell you if its tiring and too much for him, and you will be rested enough to pick up the signals -positive and negative.
you gem. you absolute gem. that I need a break is usually NEVER on anyone’s agenda. sur. i love you.
Wait until he turns three – and enjoy the next six months at home
that’s two bloggers in favour of the big 3.hmmmm.
If HE is ready (which it seems he is) then the age doesn’t matter. All kids are different and our circumstances with each kid are different too. The age at which FB went to preschool shouldn’t matter because Param is a different kid. To me your “No” list doesn’t really seem to carry any weight – speaking from the practical point of view. The first 5 points in your “Yes” list indicate he is ready.
“All kids are different and our circumstances with each kid are different too…”
should ctrl+S that sentence into my brain. thanks
My 2.5 year old is going to start school in January too.So I say ‘Go for it’. 🙂
But 4 hours does seem long.Can he not go for only 2 hrs initially?
i really dunno. i have to go and find out. will do that in january
my 2 yr old niece went to a play school because she loved company. It’s a 2 hr per day thing and she loved it. My nephew hated it and he was three.
I find myself agreeing with Cee Kay here. would it be okay to see if he likes it?
i could do one of the “mum and i” things — we have such things twice a week, at a place not so close by. but even thinking about meeting other mums and toddlers kinda tires me out.
Should I say I am glad that you were so candid about admitting that even thinking about meeting other mums and toddlers kinda tires me out…I thought I was the only such weirdo who felt like that 🙂
no no no dearth of weirdos when i am around. i have enough weird inside me worth four people.
Follow your heart and see how he deals with it. Maybe shorter hours to begin with.
thanks dipster. always good to hear the diplogic
I tend to agree….second-borns do want to see what the fuss is all about, and they’re so used to having a playmate at home, they are raring to go to school and make more friends.
Both mine went at about 2.4 or so, elder one wailed and broke my heart…younger fella broke my heart because he galloped in without looking back. Bah!
And I agree…you need the break too. I’m sooooo waiting for June…Dhruv will go full-time to school…I’ve not had SEVEN hours free for the last nine years.
hey! i was waiting for your view. thanks for the starrinput.
its just 0.5 from 3. i vote for giving it a shot, if he (and you) are ready, whats to hold him back? the shorter hours and scaling up to 4hrs idea from others sounds good. of course you deserve (a few hours a day) of your own life back. who is to argue with that?
i am dreaming of those few hours to myself — yoga? walking? cooking ? retail therapy? the possibilities are burgeoning
Sounds to me like he is ready. Rahul enjoyed the company even as he objected to the discipline.
4 hours sounds like a bit much though. Surely they will start him with shorter hours and ease him into it?
this stint in chennai, has given me a good look into the kind of child baby param is… this child has the stamina to stay away for four hours
i wonder if my firstborn has enough stamina for big school, though? (poor eater + high strung + dreamy)
First born has no choice. Param sounds to me like he is more than ready for school. Send him. You will have time to catch a breath or two.
thanks. sue. my mind is made up.