First Day of First Grade

Bear was so excited to start 1st grade today. Even though she set out her clothes last night, she still went through a couple outfit changes this morning...everything had to be just so.



She was excited to see some familiar faces in her class this year and ran to join them in line. See, she's grinning from ear to ear.

Of course, someone else was absolutely ecstatic that Bear was off to school for over 6 hours.



As soon as Bear was safely inside her class, Chipmunk pulled my arm and made sure to get out of the school grounds as fast as possible. He wouldn't even let me stop by the parents get-together in the cafeteria.

It's been two and a half hours since we dropped her off and he's still in the best mood. Coincidence? I think not.

Update: My son just admitted that he's going to play with his sister's toys while she's gone and then he said, "shhh, don't tell her!"

The Zombie Lemur

Kids are known for having wild imaginations. I'm sure if you're a parent, your child has at one time or another pretended to be a dog, a cat, or maybe even a farm animal. Perhaps they take it further than you hope, attempting to eat their meals under the table, or spending half their day on hands and knees barking and yipping away, lapping up their milk instead of drinking, or asking to be pet behind the ears.

Of course, then there's my kid.

He started making these odd noises one day, that the rest of us can't even replicate. It's kind of like an obnoxious purring.

"What are you doing?" I asked Chipmunk.

"I'm a lemur, mommy!"

"A lemur? Really? How do you know what a lemur sounds like?"

"I just do."

The following week the noises continued, and he happily ran around pretending to be a lemur, leaping from couch to couch. Then one day, during his "lemur play" he started attacking his sister.

"Help! My brother is trying to bite me!" Bear said running towards me.

"Chipmunk! What are you doing!?!" I sternly asked.

"I'm a zombie lemur, mommy!" Chipmunk said with a smile.

Sigh.

Learning by Face Plant

I wasn't a very good college student. I read my textbooks, only to find that the info wouldn't stick. I took notes through lectures, only to find I couldn't remember what my notes were about later. During crunch time, I instead had to go back to textbooks with pen in hand, take more notes, and try to figure out what it was all about. It was a slow process and I envied my friends who could recall information after one reading or lecture. I envied even more my friends who avoided lectures, sat through the review session with borrowed notes, and still managed a decent grade. I felt less intelligent.

It wasn't until I became a teacher I realized that I just learned "differently." If I had to use a qualifier, I would be a "kinesthetic" learner. I learn by "doing." I process my world using my fingers and hands. I accomplish things and learn but mostly through trial and error. I use my mistakes to backtrack and then try again.

Problem being: I have to make a lot of mistakes before getting a good result. That being said, you should ask Matt about my cooking...and my driving.

My kids? I think I'm beginning to figure them out, too. Bear doesn't learn like me.

"Bear! Please don't stick your tongue out at people. It's actually very disrespectful and not the nicest way to show how you feel."

"Okay, mommy."

That was three years ago, and she never did it again after I told her once or twice.

On the other hand...

"Chipmunk! Don't stick your tongue out at people. It's not nice! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that!"

"Chipmunk! For the last time, STOP spitting at your sister!"

"Chipmunk! How many times have I told you not to scream when you're upset. You need to talk instead of scream at the top of your lungs."

It just escalates. Most recently I've been explaining to him how unkind it is to bend over and shake his tushy at us...and no, I have no idea where he picked that up.

So yesterday at The Container Store, my little boy decided to show his sister just how he felt, by putting his hands in his pockets, bending over and shaking his little behind at her. Of course, being a bit top-heavy you can imagine what happened next...Chipmunk is sitting on the floor, holding his bleeding nose and crying.

So now I know...he's one of those kids...like me. He learns by face-plant and not by scolding. Let's just hope that this will be one of the few mistakes in his lifetime that involve injury.