If you have the urge to gag, I understand....

I normally hate to cause anyone to gag, but you may feel that way by the end of this post. Calm down, it's not what you think! I don't have another gross prego story. Nope, I'm just gonna brag unashamedly on my son.

Even though the Bubs is getting a crash course in group socialization since he's never really been exposed to a classroom environment for any significant length of time he, according to his teacher, is doing very well academically. Yay, Bubs!! *mom and dad doing a happy dance*

After school yesterday his teacher let me and my Dad, who also teaches there, know how successful the Bubs was on his initial assessments. He knew quite a few *high frequency words, all of his color and number words.....and then, after asking the Bubs to cover his ears, she quietly told us that he was the only one in the class to know any of it! This is great for a kindergartener! These are some of the main things a child should know at the end of their kindergarten year. I mean, we'd worked at home with these things and tried to read with him everyday, but I don't think the Hubs and I were fully aware of how much the Bubs was retaining.

Speaking of the Hubs, his smile was a mile wide when I gave him the good news from the teacher! He is deeply pleased that his Bubs is not only doing so well in school but honestly seems to be enjoying the whole experience. I don't think school was a fabulous experience for Hubs, so I think that he's relieved when I show him classwork or relay good reports about Bubs. The first thing he wanted to know after hearing about his son's achievements yesterday was how can we keep it going and encourage him to reach even higher heights. Yep, I got a good man here!

So I'm sorry for the gag- er, I mean brag-fest, but I just had to. Our precious little boy had a wonderful success and I wanted to share it with the world.....or at least the lovely part of the world that reads this little blog!

*High frequency words are the words that appear most often in printed materials.

Inspired by the Success of a Boy

I just got through reading a post about a little boy who's finding his place in the world and experiencing tangible success for something he enjoys doing, possibly for the first time. He won in a local art contest and will be heading to a national competition in May.

Even though I haven't worked in a classroom for several years, I still get the greatest feeling when I see, hear or read about a child's success. So when I got the news that a fellow blogger's son had not only been brave enough to enter a community art contest, but had won...Well, I made it a point to read about his success as quickly as I could!

As I was reading about this little boy and his wide variety of interests, I was struck by several things. First, that both of his parents are so very proud of him and it comes through every sentence of the post. I wish every child could experience what it is for a parent to be proud of them for something they are interested in, successful or not. DS#2, as his Mom calls him, may have had the same success with his art project without the support and love that he gets from his family but, oh, how much sweeter it all is because he does!

It also hit me that even though DS#2 and his family are in Ireland and my family's in the States, some things are (or should be) constant. Children should be allowed to pursue their dreams, just as adults do. As a parent to a very bright and curious little boy, I find myself constantly challenged to both facilitate his interests and introduce him to new ones. I hope I can be the kind of mom who is able to stand back every now and then and let my Bubs discover who he is and what his particular interests are. Out of all the hurdles I may have to jump in the marathon of parenthood...this may be the hardest for me. Yes, you show your children the difference between right and wrong, to have respect and compassion for those around you, how to survive and thrive in this crazy world...but you cannot, technically, tell them who they are meant to be and what their place is.

At the end of the post, I couldn't help but melt when I read that DS#2 was congratulated by both of his siblings instead of subjected to bad attitudes because of jealousy. I have seen what jealousy between siblings does and I don't wish that on any family. It was a tribute to their Mom and Dad when they lended support to their brother. In fact the author, Anne Marie, got choked up writing about her children being supportive of one another. When you're a parent (or a teacher of any subject), it can sometimes feel like your instructions and lessons are falling on deaf ears. Then, suddenly, your child (or student) does something that lets you know that, YES, they were listening and watching you!! Ahhhhh - so I'm not talking to a brick wall like I thought I was!

Anyway, head over to American Quilter in Ireland if you've got a moment and share in a little boy's success....After all, every child should be raved over!