Archive for ‘children’ category

My Child is Not Doing Well in School

9 December, 2009 | dcfemella | Comments

child not doing well in school

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.


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Brother and Sister Bond is Becoming Stronger

12 November, 2009 | dcfemella | Comments

Picture 4

My mother always taught my sisters and me that family comes first, and that we always have each other’s back. It’s something that I want to instill in my children as well. For awhile, I was worried. They constantly fought and kept yelling to one another:

“I hate him/her!”

“She/he is NOT my brother/sister!”

“Mommy, I wish I had a little brother/big sister!”

I thought that the day would never come that these two kids would get along. I was wrong.

Since Isabelle started going to school with Cebastian, their relationship has changed.

1. They look out for one another
2. They play together
3. They hold conversations together

When we went to dinner with my sister, we were both impressed on the conversation they were having. We couldn’t believe that these two children who used to bicker all the time were actually holding a conversation that was pretty interesting. I realized that I had nothing to worry about. These kids are going to be close, just like their ages. They were practically raised like twins.  When Cebastian was not even two, Isabelle was born. Therefore, they don’t remember life without the other.

I remember right after I had Isabelle, Cebastian was brought into the room.

“Look, that’s your sister.”

He pretended she didn’t exist, and it remained that way for a year. If she was on the floor, he walked over her. If I tried to get him to come near her, he wouldn’t look at her. It wasn’t until she started walking and moving around that he realized that it wasn’t just him anymore.

I’m glad that they are getting along and actually thinking about one another. I put them into a program called “Kidnesthetics” that teaches them to think outside the box, and I’ve noticed they have gotten closer cause of that as well. Next week, they start “Odyssey of the Mind,” so they will have another activity to do together.

While doing homework and waiting for the quiche to heat up, Isabelle began crying.

“I want a bunk bed like Cebastian.”

“Well, you are six, so maybe we’ll check them out.”

She smiled and looked at Cebastian, who was also smiling.

“I worry cause you still like sneaking into my bed, so what if you fall down the bed stairs?”

“Isabelle, what time do you think you will head to mommy’s room?” Cebastian excitedly asked.

“Three,” she answered.

“I’ll come get you, help you down the stairs, and then go back to my room, ok?”

“Ok.”

I smiled.

I love my sisters with all of my heart, and I can’t imagine life without them. I’m glad that my mother forced us to get along and be as close as we are now. I’m happy that my children are heading in that direction.


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Odyssey of the Mind Program Teaches Kids to Hold On to Their Creativity

6 November, 2009 | dcfemella | Comments

When I was in elementary school, I would always see the smartest kids in the class participating in this program called “Odyssey of the Mind.” I always wanted to do it, but my parents didn’t have enough time to take me around, so I just sat there admiring these kids and wish that I could be one of them.

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that my children’s school had their own Odyssey of the Mind program.  I quickly signed up to learn more about it.  I definitely got more excited when I found out that our school’s PTA was funding the program.   Last night, I went to the parent meeting.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program, so kids all over the world compete.  However, for kids in first and second grade, they are in a non-competitive division, which I think it’s great at that age.  They are presented a certificate at the end to indicate the completion of the program.

During the year, kids have to answer one problem.  For my kids’ team, we have to answer the following one:

Primary: Surprise Party Grades K-2 The team is to create and present a humorous performance that includes a Surprise Party for a team-created character. The theme of the party is a surprise because it is being given for something that is not normally celebrated. Partygoers will give three gifts that help symbolize the theme of the party. The performance will also include an original party “noisemaker” that makes an unusual sound instead of a loud sound. Cost limit: $125 USD.

As you can see, there is a cost limit of $125.  This is for all the materials used for the project.  There are also short-term problems that the kids have to answer in a quick and spontaneous fashion.

This program is great because it teaches children to hold on to their creativity.  Like the coordinator said, after 1st grade, children tend to lose that for one reason or the other. This helps them encapsulate that.  I see how creative both of my children are.  Isabelle spends her day drawing and painting, while Cebastian loves to build things with his Legos.  I don’t want them to lose that, so I am glad that this program is around.

A parent or two usually coaches the team.  This other mother and I volunteered to be co-coaches.  I can use my organizational and time management skills to keep the kids on task.  I already created a Google Calendar for us that has all the meetings and events, and used Google Docs to keep track of the contact list.

I think it also helps children with their problem-solving skills, which is very important when they go out in the real world.  It is for all types of kids, so it’s not just for the outgoing child, but also for the shy child who stands in the back.  One thing that the teachers have been telling is that Cebastian and Isabelle tend to not want to get involved in group activities.  They are like me where they prefer to work independently.  I am hoping that this program helps them want to work as a team.  Even if you don’t want to work in a team, you usually do.  I want to prepare them for that.

If your child’s school has this program, then definitely check it out.  I am going to see if I can even create team shirts.  I will have the kids be creative and come up with the design. =)


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Halloween Through the Years

27 October, 2009 | dcfemella | Comments

Halloween is one of our favorite times of the year. It has two of my favorite passtimes: dressing up and candy. My mother has always been obsessed with it, and passed this obsession to my sisters and me. It’s something that I have also passed on to my own kids. My birthday is pretty close to Halloween, so that also helped as well. One of my first birthday parties was a costume party in Panama. This is when Halloween was non-existent there. My parents, who had been in the USA, brought it back with them. The whole neighborhood went to my party. Even now, when we meet someone from the old neighborhood, they still talk about how great the first costume party was that they ever attended.

Luckily, when we came the U.S., we were living in Ft. Belvoir, so it was safe enough for children to go out on their own and everyone celebrated Hallowen. We had a great time hitting all the houses, and actually had to return home to get a new bag cause the first one would fill up quickly.

In my teenage years, I went through the whole “I’m too old to trick-or-treat” phase, but that didn’t last long when I turned 17. I discovered wearing a costume and heading down to Georgetown. You would see all kinds of wonderful costumes, and my younger sister K. and I rediscovered our love for Halloween.

After that, we couldn’t be stopped. We loved it! Here are some of the costumes I’ve worn in the past:

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Halloween 2005Photobucket006_20A

Cebastian, at first, hated costumes.  He would take them off in a second.  It wasn’t until he was three that he realized what happens when you wear a costume.  I had to put on his Spiderman pajamas because he refused to wear one.  When we were trick-or-treating, he realized that iI get candy?  After that, there were no issues.  This year he wants to be a werewolf, so I am glad that we can finally stop being a ninja or Jedi.  ry=400-2

On the other hand, Isabelle never gave me any issues.  She gladly put her costume on.  The only thing is that I can’t leave her side.  She is afraid of any little thing, so if I leave her to go to a door alone (this really means with her brother and cousin), she will scream like someone is attacking her.  Even now, if we go to the Halloween store, she will not enter unless I am holding her hand.  I was shocked that she wanted to be a vampiress this year.  She is definitely taking after her mother.

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This year, I have been so busy that I haven’t been able to fully be as excited for Halloween as I usually am because of the workload I’ve been having.  However, now that this project is finally over, I am going to get ready for the festivities.  I still haven’t gotten my costume, so I need to get going on that.  At this point, I’ll choose anything that looks good and not every single woman will have.  Even if I don’t, as long as the kids have a good Halloween, I’ll be happy.

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Photo Detail: It’s Halloween Time!, originally uploaded by LostMyHeadache.


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Teaching Son to Ride the Big Kid Bike

21 October, 2009 | dcfemella | Comments

cebastian

Cebastian got a bigger bike for his birthday. When we tried to ride it in the parking lot, he kept falling off. He had been riding his previous bike with no training wheels, so I don’t understand why he couldn’t do it with this bike. This Trek bike is 24” bike compared to the 20” bike he used to have, so I am not sure if the height has anything to do with it. I am nervous, but I want Isabelle and him to be great bike riders, so they can ride with me. When I did the Tour de Cure, I saw kids who were around 11 riding with their parents, so I hope that will be us one day.

I saw this video on teaching children how to ride a bike, so I hope to have the same success they seem to have.

When I was learning how to ride my bike, my parents did what many other parents did. They held the bike of my bike and let go. I fell the first few times, but then I got the hang out of it. Maybe that will be the best way to go? If anyone has any tips or suggestions, I will gladly accept them.

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