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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Growing

I can’t get over how much my kids are growing.  I’m about to have a child in middle school!  That seems so crazy to me, since I remember how grown up I felt when I walked the halls of elementary school as a 5th and 6th grader. 
I went to the Parent/Teacher Conferences for each of my kids and was not really surprised, (but kind of) at how well they are doing.  I may sound awful for admitting this, but I’m more concerned about how my children do socially, than academically.   Not that I care if they are the most popular, or anything like that, but I want to know if they are treating others with kindness, and if they are respectful to those around them.  Academically, they are fine.  They are keeping up with the average.  We have lots to work on, and it’s good.  More importantly, they are all good kids.  Their teachers said such nice things about each of them.
My most favorite thing Gimme’s teacher told me about her is that she is friends with lots of different girls.  When things become dramatic, Gimme bounces over to a different group.  He said, “I don’t know that Gimme really understands how to use the drama she’s in.  She tries…but she doesn’t like it like most girls her age do.” 
I told him that his job from now until the end of the year is to send her out to recess with a ball in her hand. There’s no drama in sports, right? ;)
Mulligan’s teacher told me the thing she enjoys most about Mulligan is his sense of humor.  She told me that he understands sarcasm like an adult (I don’t know where he gets it).  She loves joking around with him.
Birdie’s teacher told me that Birdie has a knack for the dramatics (oh boy), and uses it as she reads.  She uses lots of expression as she tells a story or reads from a book.  She also showed me Birdie’s journal and every single entry is about someone in her family.  She really does love her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and siblings.  She has a pretty tender heart.
Most days I feel like we should be doing so much more in raising our children, and I get so overwhelmed by it all, but then I hear things from their teachers and for a moment I feel like we must be doing something right!
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1 comment:

Melissa said...

I'm totally with you. I think school, especially elementary school, is way more about teaching my kids social skills. My kids already read at college levels and are at least one or two grades ahead in math. I'm not worried abut them being challenged except enough to keep them from being bored and acting up. I just want them to learn to have friends and to be kind. I never know how I'm doing, but one teacher said that my kid is always making sure everyone is included and that the other kids really look up to that kid. If I'm going to have a nerdy kid who programs computers all day long, at least he is nice and well-liked. Hopefully he won't be as weird as I was!