The Doodle, our math/science brain!?

Of all of our girls, Doodle is the most like me.  Verbal with a wonderful creative streak.  Sensitive.  Remembers everything.  Warm and welcoming once you get to know her.  Sometimes lacks a filter.  Keenly focused on fairness.  Curious.  Loves organization and lists.  Stubborn.  Loyal to her friends.  Perfectionist. Loves to be in control.  She is so like me in so many ways that I was surprised when we had teacher conferences.

Apparently, the Doodle is great at math and science.  She is also an accomplished and talented artist for her age.  She does just fine at reading but is very quick with numbers.  See, I had made the assumption that because she was like me in many ways, our strengths would be the same.  Not so.  It was a great reminder to keep our expectations of our kids in check.  The good news is, I wasn't actively trying to fit her in a mold or force her one way or another.  It was just that my lens, my perceptions, didn't quite match reality. 


I knew that the Doodle was good at math.  She loves her math homework and wants to do it first.  I knew that she was good at science--I don't know any other kids that as toddlers would watch the BBC Earth documentaries over and over.  It was just that I had never really thought of her as a math and science person. 

Don't get me wrong, ever since Mrs. Guinand scarred me in junior high math, I was determined that our girls would embrace math.  I ordered all sorts of educational toys to increase spacial awareness and math readiness.  I was determined not to pass on my self doubt about math to them.  I've been actively TRYING to raise Science and Math Geeks, with a capital G.

I'm glad she loves math and science.  I'm going to encourage her.  But I'm also going to try to keep my labels in check and try not to over emphasize any one subject over another.  While it's great she is a science/math kid, I'm going to try and make sure that is not all she is.

I'm also going to research serious art classes for kids her age--something I know very little about.  Not sure where the artistic talent came from, but I'm going to try and nurture it.

This was a great lesson in parenting.  And a wonderful reminder to embrace our children as they are, for who they are. 

She said it better than I could- Can we stop the hate?

I've been sickened about the recent suicides of gay teens who have been bullied.  I've been thinking of posts in my head and composing, but the words haven't come together.  Then, I read this post today at Love Isn't Enough and it really resonated with me.

Here's that post again.

It Has Begun

Today I got in the shower and all of my nice shower gel was missing.  You know, the kind that you buy and savor, the kind that is the opposite of "I'm desperate at Targ*t and the baby is screaming so let's just throw the first shower gel I see into the cart so we can get out of here."

Me:  "Girls, do you know what happened to my shower gel?"

Doodle:  "Yeah, it's in our bathroom.  We needed it to take showers while you were gone."

Me:  "You needed both of them???"

Doodle: "Yeah, Moo likes the strawberry and I like the almond. Can you buy us some of that?"

It has begun.  The last vestiges of the things that were completely mine are now gone-- at least most of them (I'm pretty sure they are not ready for bras, yet, although they do like to wear my heels).  The little luxuries that were mine alone are now fair game.  I'm going to need a lock for the medicine cabinet--and not for the medicine, for my good face stuff (the stuff that I buy that I am too embarrassed to admit to my husband how much it costs).  And what is truly stunning about this?  They are SEVEN and SIX, not SIXTEEN and SEVENTEEN.

At least they have good taste.  Sigh.

The Mystery of G, Solved!

I took Kevin's advice (at least with respect to the letter and not with respect to gambling) and sent an email to the company that made the "Meet the Letters" DVD.  To my surprise, the president of the company replied to my email, twice.

The first email simply read:  goggles/glasses.  Kathy

The second email read: Btw, you aren't the first one to ask!  I wish we had done something different with that character!  Kathy

I'm thinking that after reading my email, she was thinking, dammit, not another person asking about G again!  Then realized her terse reply was a bit harsh and sent the second email.  Or not.

Anywhoo, the mystery of G is solved.