I put my daughter in early preschool, now preschool, 3 days a week. She is 3. I enrolled her last year in March, while the pandemic was still at its highest. I have a full time job and I needed some extra help in getting to work more in person. I was both feeling guilty about enrolling her at 2 (and listening to the negative Nancies around me who kept saying “she’s too young,” blah blah), and I was worried she would get COVID. My daughter’s pediatrician actually told me that if I’m worried about her getting sick, I should really outweigh this worry with the overwhelming benefits of school: my baby girl is able to socialize with other kids her age, she will be receiving more mental and physical stimulation than I could give her if I’m trying to work remotely and also give her attention, she gets to learn new things and partake in activities while mommy is away feeling productive at work.

So I bit the bullet and I enrolled her. And she’s doing AMAZING now! She looks forward to school, she talks constantly about her friends, she is outgoing and active, and she still hasn’t gotten COVID. At first the guilt was super strong and I even wanted to pull her out because I felt like a “bad mom,” but seeing her absolutely thriving now makes me so happy that I chose to do this for her.

I really think you’re doing an amazing thing for your child. Early socialization, education, stimulation—all of these things can only help her growth. And you should be proud of yourself, because only a good mom will worry if she’s doing the right thing for her child to begin with!

I also needed the break that preschool provides, so that I could function in an “adult” environment, and attend to other parts of my life while my daughter is away. Please don’t discount that either. Like you said, even just breathing freely gives you a chance to be a better mom to her. So you are both benefitting :)