Manners, nice voices, cooperation, patience, sharing, caring--- all these things and more are the typical teacher wants and needs in a classroom no matter what age. It's, of course, also part of our parenting, but it's much harder to teach from the get-go than I ever imagined. In other words, I feel like a broken record most of the days and I often question whether anything I'm doing is making any difference, but I'm not giving up that eventually all these lessons will sink in and become second nature to our kids.
I think I've written before that with Gage, we thought we were doing some excellent parenting, but as he got older and his baby sister came along (who has the same set of parents), we were quickly reminded that nature still plays a large role in personality. Leila has taken much more out of me on the nurturing side (lots of repeating repeating and repeating), and luckily, I'm starting to notice some payoff:
Good Habits I'm Proud Of:
Staying with me and holding my hand through parking lots
Getting out of the car and standing exactly where she's been taught until I can grab her hand
Quiet voices in the hallways at school
Using manners when someone does/gets something for her. (She's much better at Thank You than at Please)
Not running away from us when we're out and about (still has her moments, but serious improvement)
Taking Turns with Gage (I'm hoping she does the same at Mollie's house)
Learning to wait patiently while I'm 'getting ready' in the mornings
Knows 'no shoes on the carpet' rule
Good Other Things I'm Proud Of:
Greeting her brother every day at school with a hug
Singing her ABCs and other songs
Knowing lots of colors, shapes, and letters
Her conversations with Grandma and Poppy on the phone
Her developing interests in nature, water, and cleaning!! :)
Wanting to Read at bedtime
Cuddling with me still... priceless, short-lived gifts that mean the world
Saying "I love you, too, Mommy" without being prompted. (the 'too' is always part of that line, though)
Adventure-seeking personality--no wallflower in the Cable house
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