Well that didnt work

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

It is going on 4AM and I am sitting here on the couch beside my 4y 10m old ds who has been awake since 11AM yesterday morning with only a 2 hour nap from 9PM to 11PM last night. He is supposed to start pre K today and I wanted so much for him to have a good experience but that isnt looking like it will happen.

These possible things that may happen:

1)He tries to fall asleep on the 2 min. drive to school in which case he is not going to want to stay there today.

2)He manages to make it the half day today and when I pick him up he will definatly fall asleep and then proceed to sleep until 11pm tonight. That will put him right back into sleeping days and up all night.

3)If he where to go to sleep right now there is no flippin way I could get him awake enough at 7 to get ready for school at 8.

He only goes tomorrow, thursday and monday half days then starts full days on the 18th.

I did not have this problem with dd even though we kept the same schedule for her, sleeping mostly day up all night. I had her back to sleeping nights the week before she started and it went great from there. But I put ds to bed at 9 and he only sleeps till 11 :

It isnt the end of the world or anything. Maybe I will just have to skip pre K and wait for K next year. Which will give me an extra year with him but I had kinda gotten happy about having the house to myself during the day for the first time in nearly 9 years. *sigh*

Just needing to vent and get a few hugs

[Aeress]

I don't know ds's temperament and general needs but I needed to "make" my 4 yr old go to pre-k on occasion. I think the first days of school are important for helping children establish setting (how things work, who everyone is) and for building foundations for later but given the situation you are dealing with, not sure how it would go.

Is the sleep thing a problem on a daily basis? Sometimes structured environments like pre-k can help kids with sleep problems.

Hope things work out- I don't believe pre-k is necessary for all children but I know both my kids loved their teacher and made some great friends. My middle dd really needed the time away from her sister.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I am sending him because he asked to go to school and because he could use some help on his speech.

He managed to do just fine and made it till noon before falling asleep. Me on the other hand had to fight tears as I was leaving I did this with dd but at least I could take ds home with me. Now I am all alone and the site of those empty car seats was about my undoing.

He dosnt have to go back until Thur. so I am going to let him sleep a bit then wake him up and deal with him being cranky for a few hours then go to bed again tonight at a decent hour, I hope :

[Ellien C]

I'm not entirely certain what's happening in your situation, but it sounds like maybe you were hoping to switch your son's sleeping schedule right before school starts, like you did with your daughter?

I will say that my kid is EXTREMELY sensitive to schedule changes and she doesn't do well at all changing things around. We HAVE to keep the same schedule year rounds, weekends etc to have any hope of things continuing normally during school times. This is VERY difficult for me. I want things to be DIFFERENT on the weekends when I am home for her. But I really had to learn the hard way that she's much better keeping the sames routines day in day out, especially sleeping. She does not transition well either TO sleep or FROM sleep.

I hope things get better for you.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

No I knew better than to try that I have had him back to sleeping nights now for almost a month with a few slip ups in there. I know my OP was a bit disjointed I was nervous about them starting school and sleep deprived and didnt get as much detail in there as I should have.

He didnt have to go today so I let him sleep in because he is behind on sleep from staying up that near 24 hour. He goes back tomorrow and I hope he wants to go back :

[eepster]

This is why we signed DS up for the less popular afternoon session.

I view trying to be on time for preschool as my practice run for getting him to grade school on time. Though I would like him to be on time, it isn't the end of the world when he's not.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I would LOVE if that where an option here but alas all we have is 8-3 school around here

If he is late its no big deal but dd cannot be late or it gets hairy. She is in 3rd this year.

I have him in the bed right now but he isnt asleep yet. He should be OK, I hope : when I get him up in the morning.

[CarrieMF]

It is possible he wasn't sleeping because he was too excited to be going. He will be more tired from going to school & you'll probably find he settles down earlier at night the nights he goes to school.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I honestly dont think he was excited about school but I could be wrong. He still dosnt understand a lot of things like school tomorrow and things happening in the future. He very much lives in the present.

I put him to bed at 9:00 last night and it was 3:00AM before he went to sleep. He was hard to get woke up which I knew he would be and he got upset in the van wanting to go to mamaw & papaws or home. He did not want to go to school. I feared this would be the case since the first day he didnt know what would happen but the second time he knew.

I walked him to the room and he took his backpack off and went to the bathroom first then went to play with toys. He kept looking back where I was standing to make sure I was still there. I stayed long enough to see how he was going to do about 10min and went over and made sure he understood I was leaving but would be back just like last time. He said OK and went back to playing same as the first day.

So I will see when I pick him up if he cried again today any. I cannot stand the thought of him crying for me like that little girl did She was very upset again today only this time they had to peel her off her mother kicking and screaming She did calm down a bit after her mom left but not in a manner I find acceptable she went to a desk and put her head down chewing her fingers

I understand it is difficult and some kids are more attached than others but OMG there is no way I would leave ds like that. This is not a required class and I am a SAHM so I have that luxery which she may not have but my heart breaks for that little girl.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Another thing I just "love" about school : ds started on Tuesday and now Thursday he is sick :