Summer Begins

Elliott has graduated from Kindergarten. T-ball season is over. Beth has entered a new level of consciousness. As if she wasn't trouble enough, now Beth is learning to assert herself. Two nights ago, I spent over an hour with her screaming and pounding on the door because she did not want to go to bed. Beth is usually a great sleeper, happily plopping herself down in the crib for naps and her 8 p.m. bedtime. Lately, she has decided bedtime happens AFTER she has had her fill of books.

Everyone who has spent more than 10 minutes with her knows that her fill of books is not what the average mommy/daddy/gramma/nanny/friend/uncle can handle at one sitting. Beth can sit for an hour while any available adult reads to her. On Thursday night she was in that mood and nothing Daddy and I could do would fulfill her need for literature.

Daddy (who was up at 4:30 a.m.) and I were pooped and looking forward the 8 p.m. quiet. Beth wasn't amused. She ranted and raved. She kicked and screamed. She refused to be held until a book was clearly in view for reading. I fed her. I played with her. Nothing worked. I was so concerned about her in the crib that I took her out and sat on the rocking chair inside her room while she screamed and pounded on the door. I finally distracted her with some tinker toys (thank you Mattel!) to quiet her down. At 9:15 I looked her in the eye (which were drooping considerably by this time) and told her we could get a nice warm blankie from the dryer and then she was going to bed.

Thankfully she complied and dropped to sleep the instant she was in bed. The last two nights have gone down without complication but I suspect we may be hitting a new developmental milestone for her and she won't be so easily placated in the future.

Elliott's Graduation

Elliott has finished Kindergarten and said goodbye to his wonderful teacher Mrs. Young. You can just read LOVE in her eyes. It is sad to move on but we are happy to have him at home for some summer fun.

He was a very good boy in school. His overly friendly nature (...wonder where he got that trait??) got him into trouble a few times but his intentions are always sweet. We were pleased to see high marks on his report card.

I often question the rigor we subject our young children to these days. I represent many K-12 education companies including Holt McDougal, one of three top publishers in the country. My job as a public relations professional requires being knowledgeable about policy and public sentiment. While I support the need for learning standards, standardized assessments and the high rigor we expect of our children, I do feel sorry that Kindergarten is not the blissful, low-pressure time of old. I commend teachers like Mrs. Young who still manage to combine fun and colorful learning with the requirement of "popcorn" words, phonics, basic number sense and penmanship. It is the mark of highly skilled and dedicated individual when she can bring 24 students through the year with a good foundation for first grade and do so in 4.5 hours a day.

Once again, special, special people have been a part of our lives. I feel Shepards and Angels all around us.