Jul 24, 2009

Just one more way I've managed to ruin her life.


The Little-Foreman-in-pink starts Kindergarten this fall.
She is the last one I have at home.

She will be my last my "First Day" of school.
She will be the last one to color pretty pictures for the refrigerator using those fat brightly colored crayons.
She will be the last one filled with entirely too much excitement over her new back pack and shiny school supplies.
She will be the last one to possibly shed a tear as I leave her in the classroom.
Who am I kidding?!?
The only one with a tear in her eye that day will be me!

I knew, when she was born, that she would be my last baby....

With My first baby, I worked with him and encouraged him to walk early, talk early, learn his colors early, read a story early, I wanted him to reach each milestone as early and as perfectly as possible.

We joined play-groups and Gymboree to make sure he was socialized properly.
There were swimming lessons, Sunday School, and even an exclusive Pre-School.

With my following babies, I wanted him to match or beat the record his brothers had previously set.
They all started school with a running start.
I knew they were 100% ready.
They did well.

Then we moved out to the country.
And SHE arrived.
She came barreling into our lives with as much spunk as her tiny 5.5 lb body could possibly muster.

With her, it was different.
Not because she was our only girl.
Not because she was born in the country.
Not because 4 boys had turned her once sharp-as-a-tack mother into a mumbling pile of goo.


She was different because I knew she would be my last baby.

I wanted to saver every baby moment.
I wanted to inhale her babyness and hold onto its scent forever.
I wanted every coo and squeak to be permanently etched into my soul, never to be forgotten.
I never want those memories to fade.

I let her set the pace.
I didn't push her to walk early (though she did it anyway!)
I didn't push her to talk early (although she started THAT early too!)
There has been no Gymboree, no exclusive pre-school.
No "Hooked On Phonics".

Instead, there has been a farm, four brothers, and lots of love.

This, in itself, is not a bad thing.
BUT, I'm afraid I've set her up for a harder time in school.

She is extremely smart.
But, instead of reading books, she can weed the garden without picking the tender vegetable plants.
Instead of knowing math, she can collect, count, sort, and clean eggs.
Instead of knowing and understanding the politics of socialization, she can comfort and calm ANY animal.

With her brothers, I worked very hard on their verbal skills.
When their little mouths had trouble pronouncing a word correctly, we worked on it to get it right.
With Her?
We have fallen in love with her way of pronouncing things.
In fact, we usually say it wrong too!

We no longer have a refrigerator in our house...
We have a Frigider.

We don't love ballons...
we have Bwoons.

We don't eat shrimp..
We enjoy Chrump.

Our sun isn't yellow...
Our sun is Yah-doh.

These things will be easy to fix, I know.
But You have to understand...
This exceptionally cute little red-head has been raised with 4, count 'em, FOUR big brothers.

This means she doesn't take smack from anyone!
She knows how to handle herself.
She will stand up and fight if needed.

On that first day of school, I have a sickening feeling that when that first kid laughs at her for calling a crayon Yah-Doh, I will get my first call from the principal to meet with him because my sweet 5 yr old girl just broke some mean boys nose!

Lord Help Us All...
It's gonna be a bumpy ride!







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8 amazing comments. Talk To Me!!:

I am Harriet said...

AAAahhhh...cake :)
Stopping by via the blog hop to say hello!
http://iamharriet.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-hopping-theres-lot-to-do-this.html

Katy said...

Oh, I totally hear you! :) With my last child, Jaxson, I totally *wanted* to keep him a baby forever. I didn't want anything to pass me by! :)
We homeschool though...so for me, I still get to enjoy each second of their days! (OK...not EACH second...I don't particularly enjoy when they argue or whine...LOL)

Muthering Heights said...

Awww, that is so bittersweet!

Virginia said...

I remember when my one and only turned 9 I sat in my room with the door shut and cried because I was (I thought!) half-way through...little did I know it never really ends!

Anonymous said...

That was so sweet it brought a tear to my eye, My little one started kindergarten last year. I know what you mean I dont want her to grow up as fast as the others. And of coarse she is the one who is the most determined to be all grown up.

Sab said...

That is too cute.
And Yah-doh is awesome, haha! It's pretty close, isn't it?

sarasophia said...

LOVING this post...I am the mum to three boys and one tiny Pixie girl<3 She has certainly changed our lives and Lord knows we needed her so much.

I will DEFINITELY be following your blog now--and found you through Blog Hop '09. I would love it if you would stop by and visit as well. http://tout-est-des-roses.blogspot.com

<3 sarasophia
Any comments to my Top Ten post would be SO much appreciated...I am endeavoring to win a partial sponsorship to attend my first blogging conference, Type A Mom!!

Anjanette Young said...

Scary, Sad and happy all at the same time!

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