Topic: Momma's Lover Dover
I know that all moms think their child is the smartest child in the world and I also know that some children that grow up hearing that they are SO smart yada yada and that it puts pressure on them and that leads to other problems.
I grew up hearing how smart I was. . .sure. . .I wasn't Einstein, but I did well in school. However, I was smart enough to figure out that school was easy for me and that if I stuck to normal classes instead of taking the advanced classes, school would be fun and a breeze. I've just now admitted this to my parents who were shocked at my decision. :) Eh. . .what can I say? LOL
Here's my question. Of course I think Cale is smart, but I keep being told that socially, he's a little behind. To me, that's not breaking news considering his delay in speech. On the flip side, I keep being told that he is doing things that children his age should not be doing. I always thought that people were just being kind and saying it as an obligatory comment, but after talking to doctors and teachers, apparently he is a tad bit smarter. Do I push him?? Do I just go with the flow?? Do I try to get him to be a normal child?
So far, I've just let him lead. When he asks for confirmation on what a letter or word says, I tell him. But am I hurting him by not sitting down with him and teaching him all he needs to know about reading? Shoot!! He's only 3! It just seems overwhelming to me.
Then we have problems, not just with outsiders because we are guilty of it too, of forgetting that he is just 3. We expect more from him because he knows things he shouldn't know. Others expect more for that reason, but also because of his size. I just don't want to screw him up ya know? I battle with myself every day on this subject, but beam when he sits down and spells and writes his name and asks to be shown how to spell other words. Then the flip side catches me and wants me to push him out the door to go play. *sigh* I guess this is what parenting is about huh? Oh well. . .in about 14 years I'll know if I made the right decisions ;) But I'm still a proud momma regardless. . .and that's the bottom line.