Parents of preschoolers don’t know how good they have life. When that darling little dumpling reaches elementary school the whole world changes. Those of you with a child who has reached school age know what I mean. For those of you with young kids, listen now.
Once you child reaches school age and attends school you no longer have the freedoms that the preschool age offers. Vacations can only be scheduled around the school calendar or you face things like counseling or even court fees if your child is excessively truant or absent. Things get expensive during vacation time since retailers know to drive prices up when kids are out of school. It’s that whole supply and demand scenario we learned about in high school.
We went on a Disney Cruise in May. We chose a week in the middle of May since we did not have public school to contend with. That same cruise a few weeks later went up by a thousand dollars. Airlines increase prices over peak times like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break. Elementary school travel truly means more dollar signs and less flexibility for family travel and vacation.
Parents of preschoolers believe that nap time is a mandatory and work their day around that sacred hour…or three. Big events are sometimes avoided because the parents don’t want to deal with a grumpy, sleep deprived child. Or, you pay for preschool and don’t want to miss any days since, well, you paid for it. But once your child gets to elementary school you have so much more to contend with – early bus times (7:00 for us!), homework, dinner, bath, and a bed time early enough for your child to get enough sleep so she can wake up for school the next morning at 6:30.
If you are a parent of a preschooler, then take my advice. Skip a few naps. Plan a February vacation and make some memories. Yes, your child may not be able to remember that time later in their life…………but you will always remember the trip to the beach, the cruise, or the overnight trip in the hotel. You will have pictures of your special time and even though your preschooler may not remember, they can look at those pictures later on and imagine the fun you had together. Once your child enters into public school the freedoms allowed to our families is severely limited.
What children need and want the most is their parents. Preshool or school age….go make some memories now!
If you have a school age child, do you agree? If your child is still in preschool, what are some other things you wished you knew when you started parenting?
Leandrea is a married mom of two girls, ages 13 and 12, living in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about helping people save money one coupon at a time. Read more
Kids in early elementary can always miss a few days of school to go on vacation. We pulled our daughter out for a few days in February to get out of the cold midwest winter and headed to Florida. Plus the teacher gave her a whole journal to complete while we were gone and present to the class about her trip when she got back. So she still was practicing her writing and reading while we were on vacation but in a fun way.
One of the many reasons I love homeschooling!
I actually thought about YOU while I wrote this. <3
Where I’m originally from, the high school starts first (7:20 am) so the kids can have afterschool jobs, and the elementary schools don’t start until 8:45-9.
I like those start times!
SO agree!!! This was the biggest thing for me to wrap my head around last year when we started K. I honestly don’t think I can do it for 13 years!! I think if I end up doing something alternative (private, homeschool, co-op, etc.) it will be b/c of that silly schedule!!!
(And our bus stop is 6:45 so I’ve got 15 on you;).
Hope it’s a great year for you guys!! ~Mandi
Did you really say 13 years? Oh no, when I think about it that way it truly is forever. Oy, your bus comes so early. Have a great school year!