Preschool Friendships Aren’t Just For Kids

When my oldest son started Preschool (2 years ago) I remember a family friend telling me how great it was. She said how some of her closest and best friends were the parents she met when her son was in Preschool. I thought she was crazy. I mean of course I’d want my son to make friends and have fun, but c’mon it was Preschool. There was no way we were going to form any connections with these people. Our job was simple.. drop off in the morning and pick up in the evening. Say hello to the director, ask the teachers how his day was, and smile with a friendly “hello” when you see another parent. That -to me- was going to be the extent of our Preschool “friendships”. And then school started ….

My son would come home talking about his friends and the things he did at school. We started getting invited to birthday parties. They were on the weekends… EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. Some weekends had a party on both days, other weekends had more than two parties in one day. And it started. Those strangers who you would give a friendly “hello” became acquaintances you saw every weekend, and eventually developed into your friends who you actually PLANNED days outside of school and birthday parties to see.

We laughed and shared our frustrations about the trials and tribulations of having a three year old .. and then having a four year old .. and then having a five year old prepping for Kindergarten. We planned chaperoning field trips together and always inundated the parent that couldn’t make it to the field trip with picture messages of the kids so they could be included. And slowly but surely I had developed what I never thought would be possible… Preschool Friendships.

While my son made some very close friendships, I had made my own friendships. I was even fortunate enough to gain such a close friend that we talk just about everyday and it feels as if I’ve known her since we were kids!

It was evident after Kindergarten had been in session for a few weeks and we had a reunion party with our Preschool friends, just how much everyone was missed. It was refreshing to see familar faces and watch the kids interact with each other. While the large group is split up, luckily there are some kids peppered in different areas that are attending the same schools for Kindergarten. In the meantime, we plan to do monthly get-togethers with our Preschool family and hopefully we’ll all stick to it! It truly is amazing the footprint a Preschool can leave, so while your little one embarks on the journey, join in on the fun!!