This I Believe.

This I believe, EO.
That your heart is made of gold. That you have as much love and warmth in you than the energy you exude. That you are eager to learn. Eager to do. Eager to make. Eager to be. Eager to express. That you find it easier to move than sit still. That you want to lead your way, rather than follow.  Are these not the traits that many adults are seeking as the grow and pursue their lifelong dreams? I truly believe the traits I see in you now---the very ones that are also presenting challenges at age five---will serve you well (and above) in the years ahead.  Ah, but now how do we make our way through these early years. Your pre-K teacher (at the new school we started in September) tells me she is not sure what to make of it.  Some days you are making great choices and following direction and then others, a complete handful, not listening to the teachers or your friends, and disruptive behavior in class (circle time, snack time).  As a result, the school asked we try a reward system.  Since you seem to show great enthusiasm in being at this new school, we would start the week with a half-day and if you earned four stars, you would be able to stay a full day on the following day. And so on. Since we started this in early October, I think you have earned about ten full days. And perhaps a half-day is all you can manage with 23 kids and all the activities and stimulation but mama has got to work so we need to figure out a plan that supports both our needs. Oh boy, does mama need to work.  The other stressor underway is that your nana has been very sick with Alzheimers and the disease is progressing at a decent clip the past couple months. We just returned from a week in Orlando visiting Nana and PopPop over Thanksgiving and it was indeed a difficult time. Lucky you, in that mom let you watch way more hours than usual.  Well, we are back in Seattle now and will return to your Pre-K at Parkside on Monday and hoping we kick off the week well. I also have arrangements to try a much smaller school on Tuesday morning to see how you do in that setting. It is a considerably smaller class (13 instead of 23) and so the teacher:student ratio will be in our favor.  Well, at 3:30 a.m., it helps to get some off this out so I can hopefully get some sleep.  We have a fun day planned tomorrow to bainbridge island.

In signing off, I return to the start of this post. I so believe in you, EO.  And more than anything, I want you to believe in you.

xoxo