updates

So I went to see the doctor about Brooklyn's supposed ADD and Genesis' anxiety. She said nothing I was describing sounded as if meds were necessary. She said she hates to put kids on those meds because there have not been enough tests to see how it affects developing brains. (have I mentioned how much I love our doctor?) So she told me to find some different coping skills to teach them and then she said, "Parenting is not for the faint of heart". Ain't that the truth!! (For those of you that hate the "froo-froo" alternatives, do not read on.) So my wonderful sister-in-law sent me a bunch of essential oils and a diffuser and we have been trying those. I think it has really helped. Brooklyn uses lavender to help her relax at night and she sleeps much better. No more late night trips to my bedroom to tell me she can't sleep 50 times a night. Yeah!! And the doctor said she probably has a challenging time focusing with her reading and spellling because she doesn't like those subjects. In her math class she has no problems. She loves math. Anyway, we have Brooklyn read in a quiet room so she can concentrate and that seems to help. So with Genesis, we have been using some oils that promote good feelings. A blend called Harmony and she seems to have less breakdowns. The other day, she told me she had a great day at school. What?!......great?! She said she actually talked with a girl in her science group that has been hurting her feelings and they got it worked out. What!? She never talks to other people about how she is feeling. She is too embarrassed! I love it! We were going through her binder looking for all of her missing work and I fully expected a total meltdown from her being too overwhelmed. She was very calm and told me she didn't want to finish anything. She just wanted to find them and turn them in as is. WoW! Calm! So amazing. So whether it is pure coincidence (which I doubt) or the oils really are working, we're sticking with them.

Now on to Glory. I met with her teacher yesterday, and she said she has made great progress. Unfortunately, she is still far behind where she is supposed to be for going to 1st grade. So her teacher said we could either have her do kindergarten again, or she could go all day and we'd call her pre-1st grade and then she would basically do 1st grade twice. I really want her to go all day, it would make my life so much easier. Unfortunately, I think the difference between her and her classmates would be too big and I don't want her to start feeling bad about herself. She is a happy child and she loves school. I want her to keep that. What clinched it, though was when I was talking to her (i hadn't met with the teacher yet and I hadn't told Glory anything about it) and she asked if she was going to have the same teacher next year. I told her yes ( she would regardless of what we decided) and she asked, "Will I be a kindergartner again?" I asked her if she wanted to be in kindergarten again and this is how she replied: "Yes, because kindergartners do easy work and 1st graders do hard work." I was so concerned with how she would feel to repeat kindergarten, and she wants to. She told me kindergarten was fun. Genesis tells me all the time she wants to be in kindergarten. So there you have it folks, she is repeating kindergarten. Her teacher said she is very socially mature but the academic stuff is a struggle. It is like she has a challenging time with symbols. She knows the letter sounds but the names are still a struggle. She knows the numbers up to 5 well, but beyond that she struggles. She even gets some letters and numbers mixed up. Does anyone know if this is some sort of learning disability that I should be concerned about? Or is it just a case of not being ready to learn it?