preschool interviews

[Anonymous]

we had a preschool interview/playdate yesterday and i was surprised that the teacher wanted the parents to leave the room, not just fade to the back. i understand that kids act differently when their parents are not there...but my 2.5 year old is not always immediately fine with me not there when he is with people he doesn't know in a new place. he's always taken awhile to acclimate. when he's comfortable he's very engaging, a big ham, etc. he, not surprisingly, started asking for me almost immediately and got upset and then didn't want to play with the teacher even when i came back. in other preschool "interviews" (we've only been to two others), i've been there (but stayed out of the way), he's been totally fine.

is it just my son (maybe it is), or is it a bit much to expect 2/3 year olds to happily walk off with a new person in a new place and leave mom behind? just seems so silly for kids this young.

[Anonymous]

we had a playdate at a school and dc wouldn't leave my husband. i had talked with the director beforehand to let her know dc was unlikely to be okay with it. she said it was fine and that if he didn't want to be separated that that would by okay. dc just turned 2. i agree it's a lot to expect from a 2/3 year old. and any school should understand that.