Rudolph's First Flight

This marks the end of your first semester at school and my, have you grown. My timid little boy has blossomed into an assertive child who makes friends with the neighborhood kids even if they might think you're a little young for their crowd (most are 8 or 9 and one, who is particularly awesome to you, is a SIXTH GRADER). You don't know it, but I saw you follow those boys the other day and demand that they acknowledge you. I observe a lot more than you realize, it's a parents job, and when you ask if I really have eyes in the back of my head, the answer is no, but I might as well have them.

Academically, I don't know what to say except WOW! You can actually write clearly now, and you are sounding out things to write in the cutest way. Your teacher asked what you did on Thanksgiving and your response was "we eetid"; so I know you are grasping the sounds of words (if not the grammar). I don't envy you, I can now see why the English language is one of the hardest to learn. Just look at the word "learn"; it's amazing that any of us every learn to read and write at all. The only words in that last sentence that made any sense, sound wise, is "at" and "and".

No longer am I "mommy" or even "mom". I am now, simply: M-O-M. "M-O-M, can you help me? M-O-M, can I have some lunch?" etc...

You definitely get math and numbers and it may be a little early to say this, but I think you are already fitting into the stereotypical ideal that boys do better in math. Not only do you grasp it easily, but you like it. You are constantly performing addition and subtraction in your head, telling time and counting. You love to quote prices for me. For instance: "MOMMY! That's two dollars and thirty-nine cents!", or, when looking at a can of beans "OH MY GOSH MOMMY, that can of beans is NINETY-NINE dollars!" (99 cents)

You know by now that I tend to beat myself up over the fact that I taught you very little before kindergarten started, but I do want to point out that I at least taught you silly bulls (syllables) before you learned it in school! I was really pleased with myself the day you came home and told me that your teacher taught you syllables and you were all "yeah, I know this already, my MOMMY taught me". I don't think that's what you actually said, but that's what you said in my head.

You are adjusting well to your new school. You even have a "job" that you perform with your new best friend. The two of you are tasked with carrying the lunch bucket - which I assume means the bucket that contains your classmates lunch boxes, sacks, etc... It's a little bit of responsibility and you love it. It means you break away from the class to walk to and from your classroom unsupervised and freedom like that is bliss to a six year old.

So when you came home on Wednesday and announced that you had "quit your job", I was taken aback. Apparently, you and your fellow bucket carrier were laughing on your way back from the lunch room and the other Kindergarten teacher came out and told you to be quiet. You get really b-u-t hurt (that's how you spell it) over stuff like that, so you quit your job.

I seized the opportunity to teach you a life lesson right then and there and I told you that everybody has bad days at work and if I "quit" every time I had a bad day, well, we wouldn't be living as pretty as we live now.

The next day you told me you decided to keep your job.

It's nice to know you sometimes wear your listening ears outside of school too ;)