Jacob started Preschool

We started a little neighborhood preschool with only 3 darling little children.  Jacob has been bugging me for quite some time to go to school.  He has 2 years before kindergarten.  I have him signed up for one next year but wanted to do something on a smaller scale this year.  This was their first day.  The mothers each take turns teaching for one week a month, Tuesday & Thursdays.  Jacob absolutely loves it and it has forced me to break out all my preschool stuff from the good old days of teaching preschool.  Three children is nothing compared to the 12 or 15 I used to have twice a day.  I guess I'm not as young as I use to be.  I really enjoy teaching that age children. 

 Jacob is such a good little buddy for me during the day.  I am trying to enjoy this time as I know it all goes by way to quickly.  I will probably not know what to do with myself when all my children are in school.  I have devoted my life to being a mother and I don't regret one second of it.  Children have a way a really molding your character and making you better.  I have learned so much these past 22 years of being a mother.  My parenting style has changed and my patience has increased.  I used to make everything an issue but now I realize that it isn't worth it.  I am trying to show more love in a given day than reprimands.  My older children turned out quite well considering all my parenting mistakes.  I have found talking to your children more and explaining things works better than standing them in the corner, cayenne pepper on the tongue or lots of time outs. 

 I want my children at the end of the day to relish in all the good that they did that day then the bad.  Something I just discovered recently at a dinner time conversation with Benson, I asked him this question, " When did you stop pretending you where in a make believe world?"  His answer broke my heart, " Probably about the same time you stopped tucking me into bed".  I realized that even 14 year old boys liked to be tucked in before going to bed.  I haven't been perfect but I am trying to be better at singing a bedtime song and telling him how much I love him and tuck even him in.  I told him that if he wants me to tuck him in he needs to go to bed before I do.  Something I have learned if you want brownie points with your children give them back rubs, my kids love it.  It is a simple way to say I love you.