Religious school for 2

I've already been down this road before. I attended the Hebrew Day School in Orlando, FL from first grade thru the 6th and experienced half my school day learning regular math, English, history, science, etc and the other half of my day learning all about Judaism; Hebrew, writing, history, etc. This is not something I need to do again or anytime soon. In fact, school in general is not my thing. I do much better in real life. Jeff is in charge of academics (I get fashion and pop culture). If the kids need help with their homework, it will be Jeff coming to their rescue.

So, I ask myself, why do I find myself attending religious school with Ian each Sunday?!?!?

Ian enthusiastically attends preschool at the synagogue and bounces in each day with a big smile on his face. He LOVES going to school each weekday and always has for the past 3 years. During the summer months, he gets so excited for the camp the preschool offers and doesn't even mind if sometimes was the only boy in a group of girls.

So when the synagogue offered a special religious school introduction class for the pre-k set, I thought this would be a no-brainer and he would be just as excited. Boy, was I wrong! Just when you think you have your 4 year old figured out, he goes and surprises you. Getting Ian to walk out of the house, get in the car and then be good for the 6 minute drive to the synagogue is not an easy task. Each Sunday he tells me "THIS IS THE LAST TIME I AM GOING TO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL."

Upon entering the synagogue, I have to drag him to his classroom and promise that I will not leave the building. Ian can access me in an instant should he need to. His group moves back and forth through the synagogue lobby a few times throughout the morning going from music, to the sanctuary, sometimes the rabbi's office and back to their classroom. I think Ian gets much joy and satisfaction seeing me sitting there, keeping my end of the deal.

Over the last few Sundays I've gotten more and more prepared for my 2 hour, 15 minute stay -- I come armed with hot tea, the newspaper, a fully charged cellphone and to my delight, I discovered the synagogue is equipped with WiFi that I can tap into with my netbook. Now this is religious school that I can be excited about attending! If only Ian can get on board with my enthusiasm. Ian even admits to having a good time when class is over, so I am not fully understanding why he isn't happy about going in the first place.

Even Jeff looks forward to religious school because he gets uninterrupted one-on-one time with Sam. It is a win-win-win situation for everyone -- everyone that is but Ian.