Good reminders.

I spend each Tuesday morning in the classroom with Miranda.  Her teacher, who was Parker's last year, requested help one hour Monday and Tuesday mornings. She never asked for this last year.  I was happy to volunteer since all of the other volunteer opportunities for her class were snapped up while I was busy signing up for stuff in the others classes.

I usually just help the kids with writing or reading or I help the teacher with laminating or other admin type stuff. I'm happy to do it and Miranda likes me there.  I like seeing the other kids skill levels too because I still, despite the fact that I understand that Miranda and Elizabeth are typical and right on target for their age/grade, think that they are wayyy behind.  Seeing the other kids reminds me they are not and it's Parker that was "odd", not them.

It also reminds me that the kids are told what to do and rushed through so many things each day. They have to stand in line, pick a book, put their bag away, sit on the carpet, listen to the instructions, follow the instructions, stand in another line, cut here, glue there, fold this way, not that way, etc, etc.  It feels like their whole day they are just moved from one task to the next and they get very little time to soak it all in or really enjoy it.

Then they get home, and I rush them from one activity to another. Wait here, dress there, follow me, do this, go here, meet me there, etc, etc, etc.  I usually don't feel guilty about the activities, because the kids request them and usually handle them all ok, but today I did.

Luckily Parker's soccer practice was canceled due to rain soaked fields so all he had was swim team. I told him after swim, he had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted as long as he practiced the piano in there somewhere. He was dumbfounded, but quickly decided to play wii until dinner.   The girls also only had ballet and then just played at home and goofed off. Miranda had some new drawing books from the school library and Elizabeth wanted her hair in ringlets tomorrow so I put it up in rags.

It's still hard for me to sit around, but it was good today to remind myself that I'm doing this stay at home mom thing mostly for them so I should actually do things that benefit them in other ways from time to time.