There goes the time

Whoosh and it is gone! I have watched my granddaughter and it has been two years since she had entered this world and there is another one on the way. She will be here in the middle of Jan. In time for my birthday! I have watched my son and his girlfriend struggle with the issues of childcare and wished my hubby would win the lotto so I could stay home and care for her. I sent them to a childcare I felt was safe for my grandchild and low and behold even those who you trust can not be when it comes to children. She has been told she is bad, has been grabbed by the chin and told to stop it, and her mother only gets reports of all the "terrible things she has done during the day" She is only 2. My heart goes out to you moms who have to struggle with this issue. To top it off they are getting a subsidy from the state for care and their choices right now is this daycare. AHHHHHHHH. My sons girlfriend is on top of it and has let the center know she is not going to take this. If Baylor says she has been touched or scolded at school she will take it up with the director and the licensor. I am also going to stopping by unannounced. A good idea for anyone who has children in childcare.

Here she is in her pirate/ riding helmet/disguise from The red Ripe Strawberry. How she loves to dress up.

Hey Mom!

With the start of school around the corner I thought I would answer the question “Is my child ready for kindergarten? This really isn’t an easy questions but I will try to give you some guidelines and some activities to strengthen your child’s skills

Socially: Your child should be able to cooperate with their peers, compromising in groups, come up with ideas so that the group can all play together. They should be able to control their impulses. When they do no like what a peer or teacher says they should be able to use their words to say how they feel. Respect and relate to non-family authority figures.

Children need to time to play with peers and to work out their disagreements without adults interfering. That is not to say an adult should not be there to model and help with choosing words to use and to remind the child to listen and say how they feel. We do not always see the whole picture and this allows children to have their words heard and their point of view being honored. Parks are a great place to learn these skills.

Motor skills: Your child should be able to throw a ball, walk on a straight line, draw a person with details and be able to cut on a line.

Having an art area in your home is a wonderful way for your child to gain these skills. I know it is scary having scissors around. You know the OMG she/he cut her hair. I do recommend that you are there when scissors are being used. When your child finishes an art project have them write their name just like an artist would. Have the alphabet magnets on your refrigerator, play I spy the alphabet when you are driving in the car or walking. Have your child draw a picture and then have them tell you a story and write down their words and read it back to them.

Cognitive and intellectual skills: Your child does not need as many as these skills as we all think. Kindergarten is the place where your child will learn the rest of the alphabet they do not know, letter sounds and how to read. For most children reading will start to happen around Dec and into the spring. Your child should know their shapes, colors and the letters in his name. They should be able to put together simple puzzles, understand the concepts of what the same is and what is different. Like an apple and orange are fruit and they are different because they are not the same color. Your child should also understand opposites. There are many board games that make learning these concepts fun.


Curious and eager to learn This is far the most important. We should be igniting the joy and wonders of learning. We should be supporting our children and their interest in the world and how it works, how things work and why things are.

I encourage parents to not answer the questions your child brings to you but ask them how we can find out the answer. Letting the child think of how they could go about finding the answer lets them do the thinking.. Then let them try it out what they came up with. Their suggestions may not always work and that is okay. That is how we foster curiosity. If it does not work the questions then is what can we do now, why do think it did not work or what can we do differently. Show your child the world, stop and take a moment to really look close at what ever it is your child is wondering about.
And the most important thing you can do for your child is read – read – read – read: Read to them, have them read to you ( using the pictures to tell the story) and your child needs to see you reading.

Hey Mom!

I have had many a conversation with my daughter that starts out " mom I have a question". My daughter is an adult, a mom and a wife of a military man. He is stationed in Iraq and will be on his way home this month. Back to the question, and then she usually says "my friend" who is usually a young military wife, and then the question has to do with child development, what is normal and what should the child be doing. I do not mind answering as my training and profession has been in early childhood development. It brings to light that there is really no parenting support for our young mothers. Especially ones that are separated from their families. Parenting today is difficult. There are many books written and each has their own opinion. It can be confusing. As simple a thing as potty training has become a complicated process. You would think learning how to pee would be so easy. Not! Take a stroll down the book aisle and you will find books galore just on how to do this. I say children are not that complicated and given a moment with them they are very capable of telling you when they are ready. I was taken aback when reading that if you let your child run around free( no diaper or underwear) you can catch them before they go. Goodness it sounds like potty training a dog.

Other concerns are around what I call keeping up with the Jones. Young parents are very concerned that their child will not be ready for school and what is it children need before they get to kindergarten. Oh my! the pressure we put on our children and ourselves.

Though I do not have all the answers I thought it would be great if I posted some of the concerns that come up in our conversations, share some songs and art ideas and children's books I come across in a Hey Mom! column. If you have healthy recipes, art, books any ideas related to children please leave a comment.