A few days ago, I got a comment that asked why an almost 2-year-old like Hudson needs to go to school and the commenter suggested that I am a SAHM so he doesn’t have to or need to go to school.

So I thought I would talk about it here. Why Hudson goes to school, the benefits of going to school for him and for me. If you can even call three hours a day, two days a week “school.”

thanks to Emily and Cate for the “I Heart Tulsa” tee shirt!

When I first found out that our church offered a week day program and it started for one year olds, I was so excited. Two days a week for three hours a day, Hudson could go play with his friends, sing songs, do crafts, and get some socialization. And I have never regretted that decision for a second.

As a stay-at-home-mom, I understand my responsibilities of raising my child(ren), maintaining the home, etc. I also have found ways to keep myself plugged in with the community and involved in church while maintaining friendships and other responsibilities. These things are good for me. Just like going to school and seeing his friends is good for Hudson.

I want him to be prepared for kindergarten even though that’s a ways off. By going to school twice a week, Hudson knows the names of all of his friends. He knows how to line up and walk down the hall single file. He knows how to follow directions and do what is expected of him. And, to me, those are all wonderful little lessons to learn.

One of the most important things is that getting out of the house, listening to another “authority” figure, and getting a change of scenery and some interaction makes Hudson appreciate things at home more. He is so happy on school days. He isn’t bored at home or bored with me. He loves his toys and loves playing with me.

I’m not saying that the days that we don’t have school are rough. But we get really creative with how we spend our time in order to drag out fun activities and keep things interesting.

I want to teach Hudson things and play with him and be the loving, supportive mommy that he needs. But I also know that he needs to get those things from other adults, too. He needs to know that teachers care about him and want to keep him safe. He needs to know that he can trust other adults and have those experiences other than just on Sunday mornings in the nursery.

Hudson is adaptable because of school and I just love to watch him wave goodbye to his friends and call them by their names.

While Hudson is at school, I have an opportunity to run around and take care of some of my chores, answer emails, return phone calls, take care of some of my volunteer responsibilities, and take some time for me. If Hudson wasn’t at school, I’d be trying to sneak these things in during our day at home. I want to be able to give him my undivided attention when he is at home, so having a few hours where he is well cared for and having fun gives me an opportunity to get some things done.

If you are a stay-at-home-mom and have an opportunity to send your child to a Mother’s Day Out type program or a preschool where they go for a few hours a week, I highly recommend it. I can’t say that Hudson is going to be the smartest or the brightest because of this decision, but I know that for right now it works wonderfully for us and he is a happy little boy.

So, unapologetically, I am a stay-at-home-mom who sends my child to “school” for six hours a week. For his benefit and for mine.

I completely missed Hudson’s 20 month picture and post. I kind of feel terrible about it, but life has just been hectic.

Hudson,

You are 21 months old. I am already thinking of you as a two-year-old and can’t believe that you’re going to get even bigger and be doing even more before you turn 2. You change so much from week to week and are learning so much.

Your favorite things to do this month are name all of your friends from your class at school and have me do the “sing sing sing hello” song to each of them. And when I finish with one person’s name, you name another person for me to sing about. I love that you know the names of your friends and want to talk about them at home with Daddy and me.

After months (maybe even a year) of trying, you finally got both feet off the ground at the same time for a proper jump. It didn’t happen a second time, but I know you’ll do it again soon.

You are more and more aware that a baby is coming. When you see babies at church you point to them and say “baby” and then point to my tummy and say “baby.” You kiss my baby bump a few times a day and rub it and say, “hello, baby.” I hope that you love your little brother as much as you love the idea of a baby.

You love to sing “Wheels on the Bus,” “Twinkle Twinkle,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Sing Hello,” and the “ABC Song.” You are starting to be able to identify numbers when you see them. You count to ten all the time, but now you recognize the actual number in your puzzle.

You love to play by yourself and work puzzles, build things with your blocks, and look through the pages of a book. But you also love to be read to and enjoy sitting in someone’s lap every once in a while. I love that you are independent and have some things that you like to do alone.

You love to give the dogs commands like “come here” and “kennel.” Both dogs seem to be more aware of the fact that you are growing up and I think it makes them want to be around you more.

You follow instructions very well and respond to what we say almost always. Your vocabulary just continues to grow and we are laughing more and more at the funny things that you say. You are more and more aware of your ability to decide for yourself and can tell us “yes” and “no” and know what you mean and know what you want. We love that!

You still have your share of tantrums and pouting and when I say, “do you need a spanking?,”  you sometimes respond with, “time out?” Every little boy would prefer time out to a spanking. Fortunately, you don’t experience either of those very often.

We are in the middle of the transition to the big boy bed and so far things are going great. You tested your boundaries one night, but quickly learned that when Mommy and Daddy say “don’t get out of bed,” you’re not supposed to get out of bed. We are all learning about those boundaries together and how far you can push them and how firm we should be with enforcing them. Your safety and health are the most important things.

You love to read your Bible stories books and point out all of the Bible characters like Noah, Moses, Baby Jesus, and Jesus. I pray that you will always have this much enthusiasm for the Lord!

We love you so much and are so proud of the little boy you are becoming. Our talking, running, jumping, happy little boy!

Love,

Mommy

Dearest Hudson,

Just days before you turn 20 months old, I am finally getting around to posting about your 19th month. I really need to be more on the ball because you are changing so much every day and doing so much every day that I get confused on when you did something for the first time.

You are such a loving little boy. When you see your daddy or me, you run up to us and wrap your arms around our legs and give us a huge hug. We love the affection and love that you want to give everyone you love so much attention.

We have had our challenges this month with obedience and the occasional temper tantrum that has returned, but for the most part we’re getting along great. You’ve become very attached to me at home and are reluctant to leave my side. But you are more and more excited about going to school. You are happy to walk into your classroom and you go to your little carpet square and sit down for “circle time.” I’m always eager to see and hear about what new things you’re doing and learning.

You were sick for the majority of this month and we are so grateful that it all seems to be over now. Between ear infections and breathing troubles, we were very worried about you. But you were such a trooper and hardly complained– and still slept like a champ! Thank you!

Your vocabulary is too big to even attempt to chronicle at this point. You repeat everything you hear and hold onto it like a sponge. We’re working more and more on phrases now because you need to be saying lots of phrases by the time you turn 2. Your most often heard phrases are “Where are you?”, “I see it”, “thank you, Mommy” or “thank you, Daddy.” And even “please, Mommy” and “please, Daddy.”

You can sing most of the words to “Elmo’s World,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” You don’t sing the entire alphabet song, but you are still obsessed with your alphabet puzzle. You love puzzles and books and spend lots of time with those two things. You can entertain yourself for long stretches of time and we’re very grateful for your attention span.

We’ve delayed the potty training a little bit– and that’s mostly my fault. I need to do a little reading and research before I feel like we can totally get started.

You love your family and love going around the room to name them when everyone is together. You also know that when I’m on the phone I’m either talking to KK or Poppie and you start asking for them. I love the way your face lights up when you see them on the computer screen when we i-chat.

You are more and more aware that you will have a baby brother soon and can say his name and often point to my belly and say his name. I don’t think you really understand that a new person will join our family and that he will always be there. But I pray every day that you two will love each other unconditionally and that you’ll always look out for each other. I just know you’re going to be a great big brother.

Thank you for being such a good little boy. My heart is so full because of you and because of the happiness and love you bring into our lives.

I love you,

Mommy

Weight: 31 pounds (95th percentile)

Height: 37 inches (98th percentile)

Diaper: size 5

Clothes: size 3T in longalls and size 2T in separates