As my kids have gotten older, the circle of parents in which I interact has gotten narrower. My kids are outliers in many ways compared to a lot of these families, but a lot less than when my kids were younger. I often find myself thinking I'm overestimating my kids' needs - they're really not that far out there, are they?
Occasionally, events pull me up short:
My daughter will take a mock ACT science exam this spring in hopes to provide the public school with a better sense of how to meet her needs. She picked at a practice test while eating breakfast for 3-4 days. I scored it. She missed 1. That would be a 35. Holy smokes. She's 11.
She just got sent home from school sick. She first watched a NOVA episode on Easter Island. When she started getting sicker, she asked for a book on tape instead. I ran to the library and got her a stack of books by authors I know she likes, including some comfortable "relistens." On a whim, I picked up Jared Diamond's Collapse, thinking of the Easter Island documentary she'd watched. Instead of the fiction books I'd picked, she's currently listening to Collapse.
On the way to school this morning, my son gave me a detailed and insightful description of the significance of the Battle of Midway.
Occasionally, events pull me up short:
My daughter will take a mock ACT science exam this spring in hopes to provide the public school with a better sense of how to meet her needs. She picked at a practice test while eating breakfast for 3-4 days. I scored it. She missed 1. That would be a 35. Holy smokes. She's 11.
She just got sent home from school sick. She first watched a NOVA episode on Easter Island. When she started getting sicker, she asked for a book on tape instead. I ran to the library and got her a stack of books by authors I know she likes, including some comfortable "relistens." On a whim, I picked up Jared Diamond's Collapse, thinking of the Easter Island documentary she'd watched. Instead of the fiction books I'd picked, she's currently listening to Collapse.
On the way to school this morning, my son gave me a detailed and insightful description of the significance of the Battle of Midway.