Preschool Discovery
Blog | Family | Life Lessons
On Joshua’s first day of preschool, he see-sawed between uncontainable excitement and uncharacteristic anxiety.
In one moment, he was jumping up and down and clapping his hands and chanting, “Finally! Finally! I get to go to school!” But in the next moment, he was hunched beneath his blankie and sighing like the weight of the world rested on his slender shoulders.
It wasn’t until our drive to preschool that I uncovered the cause of my little boy’s concern. Quite simply, he was worried that his little sister would “miss him too much.”
As we neared the pale yellow bungalow that houses our preschool of choice, my youngest boy reached across the aisle that separated his car seat from Maggie’s. Tenderly, he grasped his little sister’s hand and peered into her wide blue eyes.
“Maggie,” he said seriously, “I’m going to preschool now and you can’t come with me.”
Maggie responded with a drama-queen whine and her favorite word: “No!”
“Well, I have to go learn about lots of stuff, Mags,” Josh explained. “But don’t worry. I’ll be home soon.”
My abrasive two-year-old was unusually quiet. She squeezed the hand that gently clasped hers.
“And if you get lonely, just remember that Jesus will stay with you while I’m gone,” big brother encouraged.
Suddenly, Joshua laughed at his own funny thought: “Jesus doesn’t need to go to preschool with me, Maggie.
He ALREADY knows everything I’m gonna learn!”
Later that night, when Joshua’s big brother came home from football practice, Luke sidled up on the couch next to the preschooler and asked,
“How was your first day of school?”
Josh flashed his brother a happy smile and answered, “It was great!”
“Oh, yeah? What did you learn today?” the teenager asked his green-eyed buddy.
“Lots of stuff!” Josh replied. “I learned how to play bashball with Carter and how to sit criss-cross-applesauce, and that we aren’t ever supposed to share our snack with our friends even if we have some left over…”
Luke swallowed a smirk and nodded dutifully.
“Aa-aand,” Josh continued, slowing his words to emphasize the importance of his next discovery, “I learned that Jesus is at preschool, too!”
Luke raised an eyebrow, evidently confused that Christ’s presence in the little yellow house was a novel revelation. But before big brother could offer a response, Joshua explained, “Jesus already knows everything! He just comes to preschool ‘cause He likes to be with me!”
Perhaps we can just skip the next nine months of preschool. What more does my four-year-old need to learn? Jesus loves me this I know… and not only does He love me, but He likes me, too!
Delight in that truth today, dear friends. Wherever you are, Jesus is there, too. Not because He has to be, but because He wants to be. Glory!
Your childrens conversations show how Jesus has been taught to them on a regular basis…he is very much alive to them. I love your example of parenting with Jesus!
This is such a precious picture of Josh….I absolutely love it!