My kids have different personalities and taste. Ever since they were little, Cebastian preferred things you would usually consider “boy stuff,” while Isabelle preferred things that you would think “girl stuff.” However, with this difference comes another one. Learning.

I know that I shouldn’t compare my children, but I am doing it out of worry. With Cebastian, I never had to worry when it came to school. His teachers always exclaimed that he is one of the brightest kids in the class. He was reading and writing by the time he was four. There were some issues with his speech, and I got a speech therapist for that, but other than that, Cebastian has never had any problems.

Isabelle is having issues at school. Her teacher told me at the first parent/teacher conference that she was worried. Isabelle was having problems with number recognition, sight words, and reading. I have bought her flash cards, started focusing more on her when it came to her homework, and try to read with her every night. She has made significant progress, and I’m happy about that, but she is still struggling.

I once read a book called “MotherStyles: Using Personality Type to Discover Your Parenting Strengths,” which tries to help your parenting by you knowing your personality type and your child(ren)’s.  After reading this book, which is one of the best parenting books I’ve ever read, I realized that Isabelle’s personality is the complete opposite of mine, while Cebastian’s is exactly like mine. I know that I need to adjust the way I teach her because she is more of a visual and auditory learner, while I am more of a kinesthetic one.  I’ve asked the teacher for some techniques, and she told me to use flash cards, pictures, and detailing the problem.  It seems to be working cause her interim report card came back that she has improved immensely.  However, her reading is still not where it should be.

I worry that laziness might be a factor. When I am asking Cebastian questions when he is doing his homework, she can usually gets the answer before him. However, when I see her work, I can tell that she raced through it.  I keep telling her that it doesn’t matter if she finishes first or not, it’s about trying her best.

Education is very important to me, and I want my kids to excel in it.  I wonder if maybe getting a tutor is the best next step.