Two years still seems young to me, let kids be kids, I say. I’m for kids learning of course, new experiences, socialising her and my 20 mth old goes to Mainly Music and local playgroup, storytime at local library etc, each only on for an hour or so, once a week, which I stay with her at as opposed to ‘preschool’, and she’s doing perfectly fine. Besides, being our last baby it’s flying by too quickly, before I know it she’ll be 3 years and attending Kindy anyhow – no hurry, JMHO…

Lily, you would be so surprised what children learn when they are so young.Scientists are finding facts that children learn at a much faster,better rate than adults.In the same way a 3 year old I know can play Bach on the piano,the same way my 4 month old started to crawl and at 7 months was starting to walk, you expose them and teach them things,if it perks an interest, keep at it.I swear, you should see so many of the kids I know.Plus there are some kids that just need more and more fuel, so once they are done with one, they just want to keep going.Allowing them to do so, or even pushing them, I don’t see as a bad thing at all.

Maybe it has to do with where and how you grow up.For us, we still play and we are still kids,allowed a great childhood, but we know when it is time to learn also.And most kids enjoy it because they think it is fun.I know back home I think it is more to establish people at a younger age so that they can enjoy their lives and have an earlier start.

You carry on with learning as a positive thing from the start and so many kids enjoy it and continue it.The same way my mom did with my brother and I (instead of leaving us to play by ourselves and stuff,she would read with us, teach us things) from the time we were babies and then do all her house work and stuff when we napped and taught us vegetables and stuff while she cooked.When there was 4 of us and she was working full time, my brother and I carried it on with our younger siblings (I was 9 and he was 7) teaching them french,and how to read and write and talk and spell etc.It was a game to us. We called it playing school.I don’t think we missed out at all.

My Canadian teachers were always confused as to how I knew and excelled more at difficult subjects like algebra, pythagorean theorem and calculus, but I struggled with something so basic like long division and fractions.The response my parents got from my teachers was that I was not “applying” myself hard enough,not that I really didn’t know too much about them.

I think what happens though is alot of the “fun” stuff is taken out of caribbean schools.I remember turning to this girl and asking her what was “journal writing”.I was so stunned lol, I was like “I get to write about my feelings and what I did on the weekend ?, you mean, no workbook lessons ?”LOL, I was so excited. School back home to me as a child seemed very military.School up here seems very relaxed and casual.

In the end, I do think it is a great idea.I have much family back home that are young and teaching and doing so many things because they started school early and got out of school early. It basically gave them a good (younger) start at life.My cousins back home seem to believe that it is awful that we are so “behind” up here.Ah well.

Making the assumption that I want him to grow up quickly is completely false. The school I chose fosters imagination and allows him to socialize with children his age. They read stories, play music, and do various art projects, among other things.

I highly doubt Poppy’s sending Jackson to school Monday through Friday, seven hours a day.