Preschool Fun Day

I wish I could return to my preschool days. That time in my life was so fun and carefree. I did not need to give thought to stressful things like school and current world events, but rather, “Will I get to play with those toys? How many times will I be able to go down the slide in the playground? Where will I sleep during naptime?” and all the other important life questions.

If I had to choose one particular moment, I would go back to this one hot summer day. I was about four years old, and it was near the 4th of July. I remember the date precisely because decorations were hung up everywhere in the building and teachers gave all of the kids red, white, and blue layered Bomb Pops. It was about mid-afternoon, and we were at recess. I remember the playground equipment was newly built — it was an unstable plastic structure, the kind that could easily fly away in the wind, and it wasn’t even bolted to the ground. I was kind of scared to go on it since I thought it would fall apart and hurt me, but it did somehow hold up (definitely a child danger hazard, though). Anyway, after recess, the teachers called us to get popsicles. They made us sit in a row on a wooden porch while eating them. Looking back, I’m realizing how authoritarian the setup of preschools and elementary schools are. It’s quite a strict place with all of its practices such as “single-file lines” and “don’t say anything or you will get a time-out.” We were all blind and complied, which I find funny.

Another strictly enforced rule in preschool was not talking while eating food, a big no-no. On this day as well, the teachers told us to silently eat, but I recall that no one was following the rule. Surprisingly, on that day, the teachers didn’t even scold us — probably giving us more freedom since it was a fun day — so we were all chatting and enjoying the popsicles. I remember feeling like a cool, rule-breaking kid that was eating a cool popsicle (the white layer was the best tasting, BTW). Honestly, popsicles are an amazing creation, so I think I was justified in having this feeling.

This day was also my last in preschool since I would be moving on to kindergarten after the summer, so I felt like even more of a big shot; one could compare my feelings to that of a high school senior, though I didn’t know what a “senior” was at age four. This day was unlike other school days of my past. The teachers did not act like the usual tyrants one would’ve expected. It was truly a fun day.

Gone are those happy times, out of my reach forever. Nowadays, all the life stressors get in the way of that previous calm. Do I regret growing up? Not necessarily; growing up is what allowed me to recognize the negatives of the past, but it was also nice to be oblivious to stuff. No grades, politics, world, or social disasters taking up space in my head. I didn’t fully experience embarrassment at this age, therefore I never worried about how to present myself. I didn’t even have to think about non-stressful concepts that an older person is always subconsciously considering, like morality and ethics. That time was peaceful and filled with pure joy. I would love to go back to this specific moment to take a break from the present, but this time, actually feel grateful for that experience. I wouldn’t want to stay in the past forever and have to repeat enduring the dictatorships that are the primary levels of the American school system, but if just for this one day, I think I could tolerate it.