"It's not fun and it's always there." Oh God. Help me.

[choosyfloosy]

The above statement was my ds's response to me prodding him as to why he consistently says he doesn't like school (he turned 3 in January and since then has been at preschool 3 times a week, 2.5 hours in the afternoons. (You have to imagine the drama queen delivery, lots of emphasis and 'jazz hands' at the end).

I've nearly pulled him out before but have always ended up feeling I was overreacting. But now it's the Easter hols and I can think again, I really do feel like pulling him for the whole of next term. I thought he would love it (and must admit that I do love my little chunk of time between work finishing and preschool pickup - which currently I am filling to the brim with A-level revision). It would be a bit awkward not having him in school but far from impossible, and he's SO little.

You can get enthusiasm out of him about some individual people there, plus individual things that they do, but otherwise he has without exception always said that he doesn't like it. A mum locally said 'don't you talk about your favourite things during the day at bedtime?' which apparently is when her son says how much he likes going to nursery, but the answer is no, as if I want to talk at that point he gives me a withering look and says 'I don't know how to sleep if you're talking'.

I have had brief chats about this with the teachers, spent a session at preschool with him etc, but they just say 'he's fine - he's fine'. I don't know if this is normal but you never get any information at all from them unless you ask, and not much then.

Ergh! How to get past this?

[choosyfloosy]

bump

[rebelmum1]

Is it feesible for you to pull him out? He might just be a bit too young. Has he been in childcare before he started there?

[choosyfloosy]

Yes it's feasible. He's always been in a nannyshare, mostly with one other child, so it's quite a jump from that to a preschool classroom (though incidentally his 'nannysister' is there too).

[amateurmum]

He is very little and it always seems sad to push children into school too early BUT 3 afternoons a week is not much and I've always felt it helpful for mine to attend some setting from about the age of your DS. Does he go to nursery as well? If so, I think I would pull him out of school because he is already getting an experience of that kind of setting. If these are his only sessions, I think I would persevere a bit unless you are unhappy with the pre-school. Do you feel it is generally good?

[sunnysideup]

How is he when you leave him there? Is he protesting or upset or is he left happily?

LOVE your ds' logical approach to going to sleep and stopping you wittering on about his day in a caring motherly fashion! What a character

If he's just 3, he won't be going to school till September 08, is that right? I think if it was me I might consider taking him out and letting him have one academic year in pre-school from Sept this year to July 08.......you're right, it's not obligatory and you can keep him out if you feel it better....my ds had the one academic year at pre-school and that was fine. If he says consistently he doesn't like it and it's not fun, maybe it would be worth taking him out till he's a bit older.

However if he is left happily enough it probably shows that he has no great problems there; many, many kids would rather be at home or with a nanny in my experience, they love the attention at home and do feel the difference between that and being 'one of the herd'.

If it's a good break for you (or time to study!) and he is more or less content to be left, is it worth continuing???

[harpsichordcarrier]

(Is that you acnebride?)
I would pull him, tbh, and wait a while. personally, if he isn't enjoying it, then I don't really see the point?

[choosyfloosy]

Yup, it's me
Hmm, thanks harpsi, I think you're right (although thanks amateurmum, that makes me feel less desperate about the whole thing)

[shouldbedoingsomethingelse]

my DS was like this over pre-school so I pulled him out amongst loads of tutting and "well you'll have trouble when he HAS to go to school" from the staff but I stuck to my guns and he did go occassionally in the term before school but was never keen. He is in year 1 now and has always gone to school without a fuss, true given the choice he would rather stay at home with me but he isnt given the choice. he happily gets ready and goes!

[Homebird8]

Are there other pre-schools nearby? Sometimes it's 'horses for courses'.