My younger daughter was excited to go to preschool full-time. The transition was not so easy for me.

• My daughters started full-time preschool and kindergarten at the same time. • I was shocked by how difficult it was to send my younger daughter to preschool — for me. • The transition was easy on her, and it made me feel a grief I wasn't expecting.

All summer long, I had been preparing my older daughter — and myself — for kindergarten, that milestone transition that every parent under the sun warns parents of young children about. We read books about going to kindergarten, watched children's shows on the topic, and went to family meet-ups organized by her new school.

Meanwhile, I spent so little time preparing my younger daughter for her own transition to full-time preschool, because she seemed so ready. She had already attended a half-day program four days a week, so she was fairl