The First Steps......

Its the same time of the year again, cute little ones taking their first steps in a preschool. Its so much fun to see these cuties at their first day of the school. All dressed up in their school uniform, new shoes, along with their little school bags, containing a set of clothes, a diaper, a tiffin and a water bottle. Tugged into their raincoats, looking around in delight, tightly holding their mummy's hand and walking along the road on the pavement. The raindrops falling on their hoods, making it more adventurous.........getting into the act of stomping their feets in the puddle formed on the road..to the dismay of their mummy dears. Who by the way, are also taking their first step along with her child too. For some the transition from the security of the home to the class room is easy and fun. And for some its apprehension...new place, new faces and more importantly leaving their mummy's. It does get slightly fearful for some, they are reluctant to leave their mom's.  Luckily this new transition worry, sticks around for a little while. The set up at these playschools is such that the moment the child enters, he/she feels comfortable. It's  like being in a park for them, where there are slides, see saws and other games that the child loves playing. It is this view at the first instance that catches the child's attention and eventually he/she swiftly gets down from their mothers arms and start playing. 

But the real moment is the one, when they have to actually let go of their mom's. As the door closes of the classroom and seeing themselves in the midst of the other children and the teacher, it dawns to them now they are on their own, without their parents. This is pretty daunting to every child, the thought of not having the security of their parents touch and love. Some of them start clinging to the mother or fathers leg for dear life, even refusing to look at the classroom, much less walk into it alone. And when one of the child in the classroom does cry, thats enough to trigger the entire bunch of these kids to cry in full galore..no stopping them. The Big Big tear drops, makes me sad, its painful to see the kids like this. But this aspect is a must for growing up, of letting go, of standing on their own, looking at the world through their own eyes and making the experience as vivid as possible, without the security of the home and the parents together. For some it takes a while to get adjusted to the new environment and for some it doesn't take much. But to make this transition a smooth one, is the responsibility of the  parents and the teachers as well. The environment in the house, the conversation that we have with the child, helps the child to get comfortable, to get adjusted to this new environment.  If you have any concerns, your child will immediately pick it up. So on the big day , keep a bright smile on your face and stay positive. This will give your child the needed assurance that going to preschool is something they can and should look forward to

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