Kindergarten and Second Grade

Here is a picture of the kids on the first day of school.

I know it was like 6 weeks ago. I'm a little behind. But anyway, it has been funny to see the differences betweeen Caleb and Natalie. For example: At the school our kids attend they have a certain number of tickets each day and if they get one taken away it is kind-of like when we used to have our names written on the board--just a warning. Then as you get more taken away there are more serious consequences, like 5 minutes of recess lost or an entire recess lost, etc. So the first time Caleb got a ticket taken away in Kindergarten it was utter devestation. I'm talking, he was in tears. The first time Natalie got a ticket taken away, Chad was talking with her about it. He said, "What does one ticket mean?" And she sang "It means NOTHING!!" (Seriously, she sang it. That girl sings everything, often opera style. Sunday morning she sang The Star Spangled Banner, opera style, for 2 HOURS!!)

I don't remember how long it took for Caleb to get the whole "do-your-homework, put-it-in-your-folder, folder-in backpack, backpack-by-the door-for-tomorrow" routine, but Natalie doesn't see the benefit because I have to remind her every day. I think she is a little too much like her mom that way--very scatter-brained. She makes us want to laugh sometimes. Other times she makes me want to scream.

Nat is loving Kindergarten. Friday we are going to go eat lunch with her since her birthday is Saturday, and she is the Star of the Week this week, so we'll also be spending some time in her class. It'll be fun to see her in that setting. She is still taking violin lessons and has started learning to read music. She is also in ballet, which she loves.

Caleb is doing awesome in second grade. We got a paper yesterday telling us they are considering him for the "Enrichment" program, which is like G.T. was for us. We kindof explained it to him and he is excited about that possibility. None of his good friends from previous years are in his class this year, which has created some challenges for him socially, but he seems to be doing better. He is still taking piano lessons and is excited for his upcoming recital in which he will get to play a duet with his friend Kaden. We are almost done with another season of fall soccer.

I think I will share news of the other two for another post.

Thoughts

I am totally behind on my blogging... July and August were really busy, and we did lots of really fun things, including: swimming lessons; 2 family reunions; building a swingset; several days in Sun Valley, Idaho; starting school; and fly fishing.

But that isn't what I am going to write about today. Today I am going to write down some of the things I have been thinking about amidst the running hither and yon.

--First, I am trying to figure out what chores are appropriate for children at a given age. And how many of these doable tasks is too much. For example, is it too much to ask a 5-year-old to practice the violin, unload the dishwasher, do homework, and clean her bedroom every day? Are my expectations unrealistic?

--On a related thought process, I am trying to figure out how to encourage children to do chores with out having to resort to yelling and beating. I have one child in particular who "hates working." (Those are exact words that came out of said child's mouth on Monday.) I have tried a point system. I have tried making lists. I have tried being there to help and tell each item to pick up. I have tried taking away privileges. I have tried incentives. I am running out of ideas.

--Next I am trying to figure out what to do with a child who tells out-right lies. As in, "Did you brush your teeth?" "Yes, I did." When I KNOW that said child hasn't brushed teeth. I have consulted several books. One said that most 5 to 8 yr olds go through a lying phase. The best thing to do is encourage honesty and make telling the truth more rewarding than telling the lie. So how do you make that child accountable for their dishonesty, while still making telling the truth more rewarding? I am really hoping this is just a phase, but I don't know what to do.

--What do you do when a child is in class with none of their friends from previous years, and they are really struggling to make friends? How do you teach a kid how to make friends?

--How do you give a child confidence without making them conceited? I want to have kids who are friendly and kind and know when to stand up for themselves and know when to compromise and when to let someone else have their way. But how do you this?

So those are some of my parenting thoughts for the day. Any suggestions anyone has would be great.