Last Day of Preschool

Today is Luke's last day of preschool for the year. I am so sad I could cry. I don't know how to express to his teachers how grateful I am for them. I can't even find the words when I go to write the thank you cards. They don't seem adequate.

Last year, we noticed that Luke was a little behind his peers in a few areas. So we decided to have him tested. It turned out that he did have some delays (a few we were not even aware of) and would qualify for a special-needs preschool. I knew I should be grateful that we caught it early on and would get the help he needed. But still...I cried. No, I sobbed. After a little talk with all the specialists, I got in my car, holding the written evidence of all my unspoken worries staring me in the face, and cried my eyes out. And it was raining...so crying felt even more appropriate.

I didn't know what to expect in the future and I was worried that my son would be treated differently by other people even though he is one of the brightest kids around. I was upset that what I was doing to help him didn't seem to be enough. I didn't tell very many people he would be going to a special-needs preschool and I secretly wondered if the kids in the class would bring Luke's development down in some way or have a negative effect (which pains me to admit).

What actually came to pass is that this preschool was the absolute best thing in the world. His teachers are fabulous. The kids in the class are so kind and sweet...I couldn't ask for better friends for my son. Whenever I take him to preschool, I feel like they are just a little extension of our family. They love Luke and he loves them more than they will probably ever realize. Immediately, he made big improvements in the areas I was most concerned about. His confidence and willingness to try new things (except foods :)) has exploded. He is a big boy now. I quickly realized that I shouldn't have been so dramatic and heavy-hearted the day I found out that he qualified. I should have been brimming with gratitude.

After a while, I told more people about it because I realized it was nothing to be worried about. I found that there were a lot of parents who wondered about the same things I had been concerned about. They had no idea about special needs preschool or how normal it is to have a child who is a little bit behind in some areas. I talked to a lot of parents whose children were now doing just fine in regular school but had started out in special needs preschool so that they could fix certain problems early on before they became a major set-back. Now, I feel like I'm babbling to everyone I meet about how great it is and how they should have their child tested (okay, I don't actually make that suggestion unless they think they should) but I hope that parents who are worried like I was, will face the problem head-on and look for solutions.

Yes, today is a sad day. I wish I could take those blessed teachers and therapists with me to Ann Arbor. One thing is for sure. When we all make it to the other side (yes, I'm talking about heaven), I'm going to find them and tell them thank you just one more time. Because they were certainly heaven-sent.