Well, my ds begins school next Mon. Sept 10th. He will be in preK~4. This is the first time he will be out of my sight, other than being with my MIL a handful of times. i am an emotional wreck and am doing everything to keep it together. We are sending him to our parish's Catholic school. Which we have planned to do since before we had kids.
I hate asking help from anyone, I can't help but feel like an inconvenience when I do. Doesn't matter who. Well I have had to ask for my MIL to babysit quite a few times because of all these meetings. Almost ridiculous amount. Then they talk about volunteering and I asked about bringing my 21 mos. old and they said no. I don't know how I am going to manage that. With no family nearby except my inlaws who work. They just say you'll figure something out. Then all the fundraisers, We have 3 going right now and he hasn't even started. Well, we don't have the funds and I hate asking others for so many when no one has asked us. They just postponed the first day of scholl which is a two day process the first day we go with him. So now I have to see if my dh can switch his days off and if my mil will take off work to babysit.
Then to top it off, my ds & I go to the parent?child?teacher orientation last night after having his haircut. And was informed he can't have a bowl cut! I LOVE his haie, he is a small pale wirey little guy and this style was perfect. So I go and take him to get it blended today, and because it was so short on the sides they had to cut it short all over and he looks a little dorky. I just want to cry. I feel so overwelmed, like we don't fit in!!

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"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous

That is some strange preschool you have there!!! He can't have a bowl cut???? That is the oddest thing I have ever heard. Also, I would not do more than one fundraiser a year. The whole thing sounds really over the top to me!! (I suppose they really would not like my son's shoulder length hair )

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~Happiness is a large family~

i think i would take my son to a different school, what does it matter what his hair looks like? shouldnt we be maken our kids feel good about themselves, not telling them they cant have their hair a certain way??

Oh my goodness! The day someone told me how I had to have my child's hair cut! I don't think I would like this school very much. They sound like they expect way too much.

Big hugs....

My friend deals with all of the same policies and way to many fundraisers. Just wait until uniforms start too. Also find out if you can do a lot of your vounteer work at home...such as preparing cut outs for a class room or stapling news letters, etc.

My DD is starting at a public school... I know when fundraiser time comes around I will just cut a $20 or so check and give it directly to the PTO since I don't have enough people close by to sell things to

Jen

My kids go to a Catholic school and although there are tons of fundraisers, I don't particiapte in all of them. You have to pick and choose and if they don't like it, what are they going to do? Ask you to leave? I highly doubt it. I think they like to give you the impression that you should do all of them but eally that's a bunch of BS. After all, he's only in preschool. As far as the volunteering, our school has some volunteer efforts that can be done from home like cutting the box tops for edcuation or the Campbell soup Labels. or baking cookies for the numerous meetings they have or offering to call people in the phone chain for somthing. Personally, my son went to thee year preschool and I didn't really start volunteering for things until he was in kindergarten since Kate was going to preschool for two days in the AM. Offer to do what you can and if they aren't happy with that, tough beanos. I think you will fit in, it's just finding your niche.

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I know I'm probably in the minority, but I don't think preschool is very important. If you don't have childcare available, it might be best not to send your oldest to preschool. My two oldest went and it did seem like a lot of volunteering. I didn't send my youngest. He went to other classes for socialization. He had a class while I was at Bible Study, and he went to Covenant Kids, and Sunday School. He started Kindergarten last year and he didn't have any problems adjusting. There are so many things he could be involved in that you could bring your youngest to also. For example, classes at the library. Of course, I realize that your son might be excited about going, in that case you might want to talk it over with your in-laws to see how much babysitting they will be available to do.

I am going to add my 2 cents, I think that in preschool it is crazy for them to dictate hairstyles, esp a bowl cut, I mean I can understand a pink mohawk, but not a bowl cut.

My SIL has the same problem with volunteering in my nephew's public school. You can not bring younger siblings. So basically she has to wait until her youngest is in school to volunteer in the class for any of them. In a way I can see that, you are there to help and a younger sibling could distract you from that.

Good luck however you handle it!!!