So, it's that time of the year again - report cards and parent-teacher interviews. Devlin's report card came home and it was what we expected - no major drama this year. Certainly his teacher agreed with our assessment that he needed to spend more time checking over his work for careless mistakes, but he was not struggling with any academic concepts. Her observation that he could get silly at carpet time wasn't a big surprise to us either. What was a pleasant discovery was learning that he got along well with all of his classmates, and there was never any issue with placing Devlin in any group format for group assignments. Given his lack of cooperation at home with his siblings, we were pleased to hear he possessed diplomacy skills at school. It is always disconcerting, though, to hear how entertaining he is with his stories, especially of what occurs at home!
We then hurried off to meet with Ceilidh's teachers. We expected it would be a quick "conference" and that we'd be told Ceilidh was not only adjusting well to senior kindergarten, but that she getting along with her classmates and seemed to be enjoying the year. It started out well with the teacher informing us that Ceilidh is now a leader in the classroom. For instance, it was her unilateral decision to turn the "pet store" area into a Halloween store. She corralled her lackeys to keep out the junior kindergarten students until she had "re-organized" the store area and then graciously allowed the younger students into the store area. There were other examples of her "leadership" the teachers regaled us with, but we bluntly stated, "so you're telling us she's bossy." Which we see evidence of at home with Aisling. Or at least she tries to command her younger sibling.
But when we brought up her apparent laziness at home to attempt more difficult level of reading, the Early Childhood Educator stopped us mid-sentence to laud Ceilidh's excellent language skills. Particularly her Korean language skills.
"Pardon?" we asked, quite sure we had misunderstood.
"Well, when learned the Autumn Leaves poem, she recited it back for us in Korean! Whoever is teaching her Korean is doing an excellent job!"
Daddy and I looked at each other and started laughing. For one, we don't speak much Korean at home. (Yes, something I've been remiss in, but there's only so many hours in the day.) Ceilidh does know how to count in Korean, thanks to Halmuhnee, and we were also told she had already taught her kindergarten class that skill. Most of our Korean at home is limited to food items, and of course, the word for "dirty", as in "don't touch - it's dirty".
"I think she's pulling you leg," I sputtered in between laughs.
"No, she's very good at Korean!" the ECE insisted.
"No, I an assure you that while she knows some Korean, she certainly doesn't know any poems."
The ECE (who is most definitely not of Korean descent) didn't seem put out that she had been had by a 5 year old. In fact, I got the distinct impression that she believed we didn't think highly of our child. (More on that in another post.)
Well, we returned home and asked Ceilidh to recite Autumn Leaves in Korean for us. Ceilidh looked quite uncomfortable. We insisted on hearing the poem as she had recited in school. She would only whisper it into our ears. It was most definitely NOT Korean. Nor was it any language I recognized.
My 5 year old daughter is a fraud artist. Or she possesses an over-active imagination.
We're going to have to watch her like a hawk once she reaches the teenage years. Or implant a GPS in her.
She also told the teacher that she and her best friend Michaela are part of a reading club which explained their superior reading skills. The ECE wanted to know in which reading program we had Ceilidh enrolled and where it was located. Again, we had to advise the teacher that there was no such club, and Ceilidh was pulling the wool over her eyes.
Like I said, she's got a future as a fraud artist. Or maybe a spy.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Shart? Shark?
When we were expecting Devlin, we watched the movie "Along Came Polly", that starred Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was a comedy romance that provided lots of laughs. One particular scene introduced us to the term "shart", which as one character described as "you think it's a fart, but later you realize it was more than that".
After Devlin arrived, we began to employ that term in earnest for those teeny tiny bowel movements that accompanied the fart but was definitely not a full-fledged poopy diaper.
Recently, Aisling has been experiencing some issues with poop. It may be because of constipation, or it may be part two of an unconscious reaction to the impending arrival of a new sibling. We've already been through one episode of regression with the poop training. We thought this was a non-issue and a thing of the past. Clearly it's not.
Last night, she announced to her father she had a poop accident.
Daddy checked the underwear, and declared it was "not an accident".
Daddy: This is not an accident. This is you going poop in your underwear. Poop should be in the toilet.
Aisling: No it was an accident.
Daddy: There is no way you can claim this as a shart. It is POOP in the underwear.
Aisling: It's not a shark. It's poop. Sharks live in the water!
After Devlin arrived, we began to employ that term in earnest for those teeny tiny bowel movements that accompanied the fart but was definitely not a full-fledged poopy diaper.
Recently, Aisling has been experiencing some issues with poop. It may be because of constipation, or it may be part two of an unconscious reaction to the impending arrival of a new sibling. We've already been through one episode of regression with the poop training. We thought this was a non-issue and a thing of the past. Clearly it's not.
Last night, she announced to her father she had a poop accident.
Daddy checked the underwear, and declared it was "not an accident".
Daddy: This is not an accident. This is you going poop in your underwear. Poop should be in the toilet.
Aisling: No it was an accident.
Daddy: There is no way you can claim this as a shart. It is POOP in the underwear.
Aisling: It's not a shark. It's poop. Sharks live in the water!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A different response!
As most parents know, kids have all sorts of disgusting habits. One of the most disgusting habits that all children indulge in, at one point or another, is nose-picking. Mine are no different.
Each of my monkeys has been caught with a digit stuck in a nostril. Each has responded differently.
Devlin - upon being caught, he would grab a tissue, turn around or duck under the sheets, and furtively continue his mission.
Ceilidh - will simply look sheepish but continue anyways.Then, she'll stick it in her mouth, to everyone's utter disgust. Ewww! (As Aisling once stated, "To her, it's a snack!")
Last night, I caught Aisling in the act.
"Aisling, stop picking your nose!"
Her response?
"I not! I just feeling what's up there."
Each of my monkeys has been caught with a digit stuck in a nostril. Each has responded differently.
Devlin - upon being caught, he would grab a tissue, turn around or duck under the sheets, and furtively continue his mission.
Ceilidh - will simply look sheepish but continue anyways.Then, she'll stick it in her mouth, to everyone's utter disgust. Ewww! (As Aisling once stated, "To her, it's a snack!")
Last night, I caught Aisling in the act.
"Aisling, stop picking your nose!"
Her response?
"I not! I just feeling what's up there."
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Kids and computers
The other day, Ceilidh asked, "When I'm ten years old, will you buy me a phone and a computer?"
Clearly expecting that I would simply agree as I usually do whenever they see a toy commercial on television to keep disagreements to a minimum, she was taken aback when I said "no". (I don't actually buy any of the requested toys, nor do I think the kids really expect us to either. Or maybe they do, and we have a bunch of eternal optimists on our hands.)
"Why not? Everyone else has one."
Deciding not to use the "if everyone jumped off the bridge, would you" approach, I decided to explain why her parents would not be jumping on the electronic gizmo bandwagon.
"Ceilidh, Mommy and Daddy will always get you whatever you need. If you need new clothes, or books, or sports equipment, we will gladly buy it for you. But at ten, or even thirteen, you do not and will not NEED a phone or your own computer," I stated firmly.
She immediately flew into a temper tantrum that involved feet stomping and tears and shouts of "You're not nice and I won't listen to you anymore". That earned her a trip to the naughty stool and a time-out.
Which simply reinforced Mommy's and Daddy's resolve not to purchase the latest computer toy, electronic gizmo, hand-held, battery operated device for their brood of monkeys. It also reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend earlier in the year regarding computer games and whether or not we allowed Devlin to play games on the Internet. We don't, generally speaking.
It's not that we're dinosaurs when it comes to technology. While we may not possess the latest tablet or the newest smart phone, we do know of their existence. In fact, once the contract ends on my current phone, I'm planning on getting a smartphone. We simply don't believe actively encouraging our children to partake in electronic past times. We don't have a Wii (despite Daddy's begging and pleading) or a game system. Devlin does not own a PS2 or DS or whatever. Our philosophy is that our kids get enough exposure to the screen as is, that we don't need to add to it by making their play time revolve around the television or computer. The kids know we have a computer, and Devlin is learning about navigating the web at school. There are a few websites we allow him to access, under our direct supervision. Occasionally, we'll monitor a few games from teletoon.com or barbie.com but it's a rare treat.
Instead of playing chess on the computer, we'd rather the kids learn the basics of the game by playing the board game. It's about learning to take turns too, and not cheating when you play Battleship or Monopoly with your siblings. We'd rather they play with their toys and exercise their imagination instead of having graphic images ingrained into their brains from playing video games. While some proponents may argue that Wii Fit encourages movement, it's not the same as letting the children run outside and jump through piles of leaves.
Computers are all around us. Most of us use them at work or at home on a daily basis. Our laptop sits in the kitchen so I can access the emails and recipes. There's no avoiding technology in today's world. But we don't need to actively encourage its role in children's lives. Rather than relying on spellcheck, we should be teaching children the basics of phonics. Instead of social networking sites, we need to foster the basics of cooperation, being polite, and what it means to be a "friend" on a day-to-day, face-to-face situation.
More importantly, we need to teach our children that it's okay to be bored sometimes. They need to learn how to entertain themselves WITHOUT a cell phone or miniature game system in their hands. That having an active imagination is an asset. Reading books is becoming a rare past time with many children because of the prevalence of video games. Numerous studies have shown, particularly with boys, that more time spent with video games translated to an exponential decrease in time spent reading books. That's even without taking into account the violence often associated with video games, which opens up a whole other can of worms.
It makes me nutty when I see parents put on the portable DVD player for a quick trip to the grocery store. Really? You can't talk to your child for the 5 minute drive. Or more disturbing, your child needs to be entertained for that short period of time?
So, for all of the above reasons and more (I'm not even getting into the safety aspect of allowing children to access social networking sites), my dear children, do NOT expect an electronic or computer gaming system under the Christmas tree this year.
Clearly expecting that I would simply agree as I usually do whenever they see a toy commercial on television to keep disagreements to a minimum, she was taken aback when I said "no". (I don't actually buy any of the requested toys, nor do I think the kids really expect us to either. Or maybe they do, and we have a bunch of eternal optimists on our hands.)
"Why not? Everyone else has one."
Deciding not to use the "if everyone jumped off the bridge, would you" approach, I decided to explain why her parents would not be jumping on the electronic gizmo bandwagon.
"Ceilidh, Mommy and Daddy will always get you whatever you need. If you need new clothes, or books, or sports equipment, we will gladly buy it for you. But at ten, or even thirteen, you do not and will not NEED a phone or your own computer," I stated firmly.
She immediately flew into a temper tantrum that involved feet stomping and tears and shouts of "You're not nice and I won't listen to you anymore". That earned her a trip to the naughty stool and a time-out.
Which simply reinforced Mommy's and Daddy's resolve not to purchase the latest computer toy, electronic gizmo, hand-held, battery operated device for their brood of monkeys. It also reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend earlier in the year regarding computer games and whether or not we allowed Devlin to play games on the Internet. We don't, generally speaking.
It's not that we're dinosaurs when it comes to technology. While we may not possess the latest tablet or the newest smart phone, we do know of their existence. In fact, once the contract ends on my current phone, I'm planning on getting a smartphone. We simply don't believe actively encouraging our children to partake in electronic past times. We don't have a Wii (despite Daddy's begging and pleading) or a game system. Devlin does not own a PS2 or DS or whatever. Our philosophy is that our kids get enough exposure to the screen as is, that we don't need to add to it by making their play time revolve around the television or computer. The kids know we have a computer, and Devlin is learning about navigating the web at school. There are a few websites we allow him to access, under our direct supervision. Occasionally, we'll monitor a few games from teletoon.com or barbie.com but it's a rare treat.
Instead of playing chess on the computer, we'd rather the kids learn the basics of the game by playing the board game. It's about learning to take turns too, and not cheating when you play Battleship or Monopoly with your siblings. We'd rather they play with their toys and exercise their imagination instead of having graphic images ingrained into their brains from playing video games. While some proponents may argue that Wii Fit encourages movement, it's not the same as letting the children run outside and jump through piles of leaves.
Computers are all around us. Most of us use them at work or at home on a daily basis. Our laptop sits in the kitchen so I can access the emails and recipes. There's no avoiding technology in today's world. But we don't need to actively encourage its role in children's lives. Rather than relying on spellcheck, we should be teaching children the basics of phonics. Instead of social networking sites, we need to foster the basics of cooperation, being polite, and what it means to be a "friend" on a day-to-day, face-to-face situation.
More importantly, we need to teach our children that it's okay to be bored sometimes. They need to learn how to entertain themselves WITHOUT a cell phone or miniature game system in their hands. That having an active imagination is an asset. Reading books is becoming a rare past time with many children because of the prevalence of video games. Numerous studies have shown, particularly with boys, that more time spent with video games translated to an exponential decrease in time spent reading books. That's even without taking into account the violence often associated with video games, which opens up a whole other can of worms.
It makes me nutty when I see parents put on the portable DVD player for a quick trip to the grocery store. Really? You can't talk to your child for the 5 minute drive. Or more disturbing, your child needs to be entertained for that short period of time?
So, for all of the above reasons and more (I'm not even getting into the safety aspect of allowing children to access social networking sites), my dear children, do NOT expect an electronic or computer gaming system under the Christmas tree this year.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Rocks, rocks everywhere!
At the beginning of the school year, I took some vacation days so I could take the kids to school and meet their teachers. It's also a great time to purchase school supplies since there's always something I've forgotten. There's always numerous forms from the school to fill out, lunches to organize, extra-curricular activities to be scheduled and registered into...the list goes on and on.
I took advantage of my time at home to walk the Devlin and Ceilidh to school and pick them up in the afternoon as well. Sometimes we went to the nearby park with Aisling. After a half hour spent climbing the monkey bars and swinging, I would often hear complaints that they were too tired to carry their backpacks home. So I'd shoulder their schoolbags and shepherd them home. Devlin's bag was pretty light, but Ceilidh's was suspiciously heavy. When we arrived home, I discovered why - there were rocks of all sizes in her backpack. Apparently, she had developed a new hobby - rock collecting.
I'd dump the rocks outside, but the next day, she'd find more and bring them home. There were rocks and pebbles in her jacket pockets too. And pants pockets. Soon I was finding tiny stones in our washing machine.
In an effort to dissuade her, Devlin told his sister that she taking school property whenever she removed the rocks from the playground and brought them home. This had no effect on our budding geologist.
Well, it's been a few weeks, but I think that hobby has run its course. Now I'm finding dried out leaves everywhere.
I took advantage of my time at home to walk the Devlin and Ceilidh to school and pick them up in the afternoon as well. Sometimes we went to the nearby park with Aisling. After a half hour spent climbing the monkey bars and swinging, I would often hear complaints that they were too tired to carry their backpacks home. So I'd shoulder their schoolbags and shepherd them home. Devlin's bag was pretty light, but Ceilidh's was suspiciously heavy. When we arrived home, I discovered why - there were rocks of all sizes in her backpack. Apparently, she had developed a new hobby - rock collecting.
I'd dump the rocks outside, but the next day, she'd find more and bring them home. There were rocks and pebbles in her jacket pockets too. And pants pockets. Soon I was finding tiny stones in our washing machine.
In an effort to dissuade her, Devlin told his sister that she taking school property whenever she removed the rocks from the playground and brought them home. This had no effect on our budding geologist.
Well, it's been a few weeks, but I think that hobby has run its course. Now I'm finding dried out leaves everywhere.
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