Perplexed!

Couple of weeks ago while chatting with an acquaintance from work, she started to talk about her daughter and how excited she was after being on a waiting list for one year, her daughter is finally going to the preschool of her choice.

She went on about how she hoped the little girl will get used to the environment, which lead to my question if she had considered putting her daughter in some sort of playgroup for once or twice a week during this one year of waiting to get the little one used to being in an environment away from home.  Her answer to that was that she didn't like that idea because it would be all play and the daughter wouldn't be learning anything anyway.

Shortly after that, we parted ways and I headed to the train station to catch a train home but her statement left me wondering what else would she had wanted a two year old toddler to achieve?  Isn't acquiring social skills, learning to co-exist and play alongside with another child, learning how to behave and react in an larger group all important lessons of life?  Or as parents, do we only deem something as important if it can have a grade tagged to it?