"There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart" - Washington Irving.
Here is Loubie. Loubs (real name, Lewis) LOVES Care Bears, Scooby Doo, Boobahs, drawing, talking, Yo Gabba Gabba, cooking, swimming, scootering, screaming, wiggles, dancing in his underpants...Loubs also loves my smoothies, doesn't matter what goes into them, he LOVES them every time. April gives my smoothies the half thumbs up every time and Loubs defends them with a vengeance. He is really defending me, I think! Loubs is my smoothie helper and tester, he throws those blueberries in like they are going out of fashion. Strawberries, bananas, pineapple, no problem, Mummy! Soy chocolate milk? Yep, even that. Loubs is my little snugglebubble, he often drives me 'radio rental' but I love him to bits!
I have just finished reading 'Raising Cain - Protecting the emotional life of boys'. All parents with boys should read it, especially Dads, I think. Boys are expected not to cry, but they need to and need not be made fun of for it. They are expected to suppress their 'boy energy' but that is pretty hard! Boys need to be loved and snuggled and given an emotional vocabulary for life.
I was particularly interested in the chapter that talked about starting school. Loubs is a boy and Loubs is a boy with a late(ish) birthday - August 11th to be precise. Loubs has also been in preschool since he was 2 years old, he is eager to learn, respectful in the class (we'll talk about what he's like at home on another day LOL) and ready for Kindergarten according to all his teachers.
However, he is a boy and he is a late 5, didn't I just say that? Yes! Will he be starting Kindergarten this September? YES! So, what's my point? Well, and this may turn into a sort of vent. OK, it is a vent. (Sorry, Caz, it's another long one!)
My problem is the parents that DELIBERATELY hold their kids back to get the competitive edge. Their child is 5 and noone but noone has told them that their child isn't ready, except so and so down the block who kept her son/daughter back because the other so and so down the other block kept her son/daughter back. Can you see a pattern forming? Meanwhile, parents like me are left with a dilemma. Should a perfectly ready to start school boy start and be possibly up to 1.5 yrs younger than the other kids in the class or should he wait? The age of K is being artificially determined by competitive parents. However, I also blame the schools. They should not allow kids of 6 years old to start kindergarten, those children should be in first grade UNLESS that child has been evaluated and determined that it will be in their best interests to start school later, not just 'cause the parents want the fastest, tallest, most vocabularized (is that a word?) kid in class. It really gets my heckles up. It especially irks me when parents of girls do this, since they know girls have the developmental edge anyway. I certainly don't think it's right that a 5 year old K boy could be in a class with a 6.5 yr old K girl. He has no chance. But, you can't put ALL the blame on these selfish parents, the schools are allowing these parents to dictate to them how the dynamics of their classroom plays out. Maybe it is time for the schools to stop being spineless jellyfish and tell these greedy parents NO...
Anyway, my son will be starting. If it is determined next year that he is not ready to enter first grade, so be it, he can go to K again, there's nothing wrong with that. This is how it should be, it is very simple. 'If your child is 5 on or before X date then he/she will be in K that year. If your child is 6 on or before X date, your child will go to 1st grade that year. All others on a case by case basis, not including I want my child the oldest. I want my child the tallest. I want my child the pack leader' It just ain't fair. End of Vent.
In other non-venting news...I became the FAGO of the family (always was, but now I have a title, ohhhh how posh!) I am officially the Fun And Games Officer. Thanks, Albert, you are too funny (sometimes). I know a few of these and they do a brilliant job!
I haven't had much time to take photos this week, I have what is called 'Okinawa crud'. My chest hurts and I have a cough. So, I feel a bit under the weather. This was all diagnosed by Terry while we were all sitting on the seawall. Thanks Dr. T.
Emmm, you are a Dr. aren't you?!
Friday promises to be a fun photo day. I haven't even really dug into my phone book size manual for the new camera yet...I've been too busy reading the above book, being a mum taxi, sorting out Loub's b-day and watching sunsets, among other things!
Speak you later...
4 comments:
Sorry to hear you're not feeling well, that stinks. I was reading your vent. I can't believe that people would even consider holding their child back so they could be the best. Crazy, but I know there are people out there who are like that. I'm glad you're not one of those people.
I found the 50mm on Beach Camera and can't wait to get it when I get some spare cash. Thanks for the camera advice!
Marisa
getting better :o)
Yep, it's true...bloody annoying, but what can you do?
Glad about the 50mm, you will love it!
Well said. Its not fair on the 5 yr old kids always having to keep up with the 6 and 6.5 yrs in a Kindergarten Class, I think that the school system needs to look at this.
He is the cutest!! And I am with him on the smoothies! I love them..love them all!!
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