Is it time to send Aisha to playschool/ creche? *sob*

It has always been my plan to send Aisha (2) to creche/playschool after the age of three. She is my last baby, so I wanted to do everything with her that I regret not having done with the other three (like breastfeed for longer than four months, spend copious amounts of time playing, kissing, hugging and bonding before playschool began.

And that's exactly what I've done. Enjoyed hugs, kisses and playtime in abundance; breastfed for so long that I don't know how to stop (but that's another story altogether) and just enjoyed showering her with all the attention I regret not having had the opportunity to do with the others.

Aisha, while being the most loving and cuddly little thing, has become so accustomed to everyone in our home giving her way, that she launches into tirades which last for hours upon having her requests denied. Usually when I am alone with her, I am able to cope with these outbursts - I usually distract her or just simply walk away, leaving her to scream. However, when other people (outside my immediate family) are around, I usually succumb to her demands, as I don't want her to upset them or cause them to have a negative opinion of her. [Which, according to comments overheard by my other kids, have people saying that I don't discipline her. So much for my attempts at people-pleasing ]. When the other kids come home from school, I am able to ignore her tantrums and demands until Nuha (7) starts to beg, '' Mommy, please just give her what she wants''. That means I usually end up with two kids nagging at me until I comply. The older two will just go over my head and grant her requests - just to shut her up. Her father is no better. The mere sound of unhappiness in his baby's voice has him scurrying around to find whatever it is that she's demanding.

These outbursts are becoming more frequent. I cannot help but wonder if she won't be happier in creche/playschool. Is she bored of our usual routine? I have tried to stimulate her mind by reading, writing and drawing with her. We play with the pets and sit in the garden. She's developed a renewed interest in Barney. Is there something I'm missing? Something else I should be doing?

She often talks to me about 'her school', '' Mommy, I play with my friends at school. I draw and play in the sand (she'd seen children play in the sandpit in Nuha's school playground). There's my teacher'', she'd say, pointing at one of her stuffed animals. She often approaches me, crayon and paper in hand, saying, '' Mommy, teach me please''.

However, the thought of yanking my poor baby (who just loves her morning lie-in) out of bed and into the icy weather just seems so cruel. She'll be getting up early and leaving the comfort of her warm home for the rest of her life. Why should she start doing it at 2 years old already?

I'm just so confused about what to do.