This morning was Patches’ preschool open house. I told him it was coming first thing this morning. He got himself dressed all the way to socks, but then told me he would put on his shoes when it was time to go. We then had a series of conversations. They were all really short, just a quick exchange in between other things. During these conversations Patches determined that he would be getting a special bag just for preschool. He planned that he would keep it all year and then give it back at the end. I told him that he got to keep the bag after Preschool was over. He liked that. Then he commented that 4-year-olds go to preschool, but 5-year-olds can go to preschool and regular school. But he will only go to regular school after he is done with preschool. Then he talked about how I will stay with him at the Open House today, but that on the first day of preschool he will stay and I will say goodbye. Then Patches talked about how his best friend will be in his class. Then we talked about how there will be some play time and some class time. There were half a dozen more topics that we covered.
When we arrived at the Preschool, the room was full of people, most of them adults. Patches was unprepared for that and hung back. But only a little coaxing got him to pick out his school bag. Then one of the teachers gave him a cookie and that was the end of nervousness. He played happily for the rest of the time.
As we left the Preschool, Patches again covered several of the topics that we’d discussed before. I realized that Patches was pre-planning in the same way that I do. He was rehearsing ahead of time so that he knew how to act when Preschool day arrived. I listened to this and realized that this must be how I was as a child. I was neither Jump-right-in Gleek, nor hang-back-afraid Link. I was think-it-through-in-advance Patches. These are only descriptions of tendencies. All of my kids have fearful moments and they all have plan-ahead moments. It is good for me to see the tendencies as what they are so that I don’t have to worry too much about them.