Thursday, February 5, 2015

Anna's Speech

I don't understand Anna's learning style. She is auditory learner, I can't even begin to comprehend how she does it but we've learned to go with it. She had a speech due this week. She wrote it, she read it to her phone, she played it back to herself multiple times, but she never once practiced it out loud. I asked her every night and every morning if she would practice it in front of me and she flatly refused. I shrugged and figured when she flopped in class and didn't get a good grade she'd learn from her mistake and do it differently next time. It's funny how often I'm the one that learns from her successes, she understands herself even if I don't. I need to learn to bite my tongue more. She gave her speech on Tuesday, it had to be between 4-5 minutes, it was 4:36. Her teacher complimented her on how well she did, SHE NEVER PRACTICED. I don't get it but there is so much in this parenting scheme I don't get that I just need to accept so I will add it to the list and continue to pray that they continue to tolerate me and everything I pretend to know.



Luke Wins First Place

Luke won 1st place for the 3rd grade for his essay about Pepere. He felt so great afterward, he is the kind of kid that a little affirmation goes a long way.
Luke also learned what the phrase second nature means. After his reception and getting his ribbon we ran to the grocery store to get him ice cream to celebrate. Luke doesn't like to be made fun of even when we are all joking, and he never makes fun of himself. But that night he made a little pun of himself saying "Hey Mom, you know what's second nature for me?...puking." We both laughed loud and long. It was so great to hear him laugh at himself its something I strive to teach him, life is better and easier if we just laugh at ourselves sometimes because we aren't perfect and we never will be.



Something He Said


In Owen's preschool he goes to Bible every week. This week they talked about how Jesus made fishers of men and they were called disciples. So they each got a cut out of a little person and they had to tell someone about Jesus write that persons name and take it back to school. Owen told Luke about Jesus today, Luke really told Owen a lot more than Owen told Luke.
The discussion turned to Jesus dying on the cross and that he died for our sins. I asked Owen what a sin was, he said "it's a rock painted red". I knew exactly why he said it. Last year I taught Luke's 2nd grade CCD class and I painted the word sin in red on a bunch of rocks to teach the concept of the sacrament of reconciliation. They were to take the rock and give it to me and I made it disappear representing that God takes our sins away for good. I guess Owen took it a little literally. Luke had thought Owen had said walking in red, and Luke's said "that's right Owen sin is walking away from God."
I don't always take the time to write these moments down but I'm trying to more as these preschool years are slipping away and life is filled with teen drama and stress of papers and speeches and exams.