Have we all gone crazy?

Princess is 3 years old. She doesn't know her alphabet. She can't count to 20. And I'm not freaking out about it. According to many people these days, I should be. Oh, and did I mention that she's not enrolled in preschool? I must be a deficient parent.

We have been investigating a lot about homeschooling as we were deciding which route to take for her education. And I was shocked to learn the "new norm" these days. I remember reading a discussion on a popular parenting website about teaching toddlers their alphabet. Many parents of tots as young 15 months bragged about them knowing the alphabet. The unspoken message was: if your child can't do this, something is wrong.

Then I recently read an article about skills children should learn in preschool. The article mentioned that the point of preschool for 4-year-olds was to prepare them for the "rigors of kindergarten". What!? "The rigors of kindergarten"? What happened to kindergarten being a fun introduction to school?

Somewhere along in this journey I began to think that the whole world has gone mad. Desperate to offer our children the best opportunities (and pride ourselves in their "giftedness") we keep sliding back the timetable. Starting to read in first grade is no longer acceptable. Now kids must learn to read in kindergarten. Or before. Before is best.

This must be why I had so much trouble in school! (I wrote that with a sarcastic voice). I did kindergarten at home with my mom. I remember singing together, learning the days of the week, and I assume the alphabet. I remember a song about a birdie, but not much else. I started first grade at 6, and then our family moved. The new school required me to walk over 1/2 mile to school, and as a small 6 year old, I couldn't handle it physically. So my mom pulled me out and homeschooled me.

Sadly, halfway through the school year she became very ill and couldn't continue. I remember enjoying homeschool. I have one very clear memory of doing my math homework out on the sidewalk, in the sun.

Since Oregon law didn't require children to begin school until 7 years old, my parents decided to just let me stay home, and try first grade again the following year. I have no recollection of how I felt about that, so I must not have been too heart-broken about it.

So I began learning to read at the ripe old age of 7. By the end of the school year I was reading at a third grade level, and was near the top of my class for the rest of my school career. Do I think my parents made the right decision? Absolutely. Less stress for me, less stress for my family already dealing with my mom's illness. And with the extra time to grow, I was also ready to walk to school each day.

Raising my little girls and am faced with educational decisions and our culture's focus on pushing kids to learn sooner and sooner, I find myself pulling back. My daughter is three. I want to give her time to be a child. Time to learn in her own way. Time to be free of schedules and demands. That will come soon enough. And right now, she knows how to learn, as she explores the world around her.


Still, in this world gone crazy, it's not easy.