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Tired.

Posted by emily on October 26, 2011

Excuse me while I whine for a moment.

I am so tired of being so tired.

Can I get an amen?

I know you’re all in the same boat with me and I shouldn’t complain, because really I have it good… but today I’m having a hard time looking on the bright side.

I’m tired of staying up too late. I’m tired of not being able to get out of bed on time. I’m tired of getting myself and two kids out the door every morning. I’m tired of my 40 minute commute. I’m tired of evenings being rushed. I’m tired of being late for everything. I’m tired of having so many balls in the air. I’m tired of feeling like I’m not doing a good job at anything. I’m tired of being in a seemingly-never-ending funk.

I don’t know what my problem is, but I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to be this way. But I’m not sure how to fix it.

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Memories…

Posted by emily on October 6, 2011

At what age do kids start forming memories that will stick with them?

More specifically, do people remember things that happened when they were three and a half?

My sister was born when I was 21 months old and I have one memory of that event, so I guess I can answer my own question. Which means only one thing.

Sam is going to need therapy.

You see, Tuesday morning I had a doctor appointment – my annual visit to see the ob/gyn. It was early, I was going to head straight to work after it, and for the sake of convenience and because I didn’t have tons of other options, I took Sam with me. I brought my iPad, a couple smart phones, and told him to sit quietly.

I didn’t give it a whole lot of thought while it was all taking place, but now I am worried that it may have traumatized him – or, more accurately, will traumatize him in the future when he looks back on the time he said “Mommy, why are you naked?” and then proceeded to chat about dressing up like Captain America for Halloween while the doc was doing her thing.

This is not going to be good, people.

I mean, imagine if your husband had memories of seeing his mom get a pap smear.

**shudder**

Yeah. So if Sam catches The Gay, we’ll know why.

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Easy as 1-2-3

Posted by emily on October 4, 2011

The Alphabet

Last week, when I picked Sam up from school, I asked his teacher how his day went, as I do every day. She responded that he had a good day, and she does every day. But then she threw a zinger at me.

“I did have one question for you,” she said. “Does Sam know his letters and numbers?”

Sam’s three and a half. He’s been recognizing and pointing out the letters in his name when he sees them around, and I thought that was a pretty good development. Other than that, I hadn’t given it any thought.

Until that moment.

As I stumbled around for an answer, the teacher continued, “When I ask him, he doesn’t seem to know them, other than the letters in his name, and I wasn’t sure if he was just being silly or what. He’s so smart, I figured that he’d know them already. Does he know them when you work on them at home?”

When we, uh, work on them? At home?

CRAP.

Teaching him letters and numbers had not crossed my mind. (I can’t believe I am admitting that.)

The kid has known the entire St. Louis Cardinals line up since he was barely two, and he can recite Star Wars and/or Lord of the Rings characters or plot lines in his sleep.

He is smart. I really didn’t think I needed to teach him stuff.

Needless to say, after that conversation with his teacher, I immediately freaked out and determined I had ruined his academic future. As I drove home, I made a mental list of all the things I needed to google – methods, apps, flashcards, you name it – to get him back on track.

I broke the news that Sam was academically challenged to his dad gently when we got home. Andy said, “She wants him to know his letters and numbers? I’ll teach them to him by tomorrow.”

Then he broke out a pen and paper and started to drill Sam. I hadn’t even googled anything yet! He wasn’t even using the iPad! I was appalled.

Until I realized that Sam was indeed learning his letters and numbers right there on the spot.

So there, preschool teacher.

Anywho, this is a long and belabored way to get to the point – Andy’s old fashioned method actually did work, but I’m still on the look out for toys/videos/apps/games that will reinforce his letter/number knowledge.

So, readers, what worked for you and your kids? How can I get Sam back on the right academic track before he becomes a preschool slacker?

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