This is a summary for Kaitlyn from 8.25-8.5 years old.
EATING
Eating is going well. It kind of feels like it has taken years, but she has definitely accepted reality of life with foods she doesn’t like. She knows she will be expected to try things and she knows she will be expected to have a healthy diet. She knows we don’t say “blah” at the table.
SLEEPING
Kaitlyn has gotten to be significantly deeper of a sleeper over the last few months. I never would have characterized her as a deep sleeper in the past. Not a light sleeper, but not deep, either. She is super deep now! Sometimes to wake her in the morning, we have to sit her up…and she stays asleep. I am strongly hoping this does not mean grumpy mornings as a teenager.
EXTRA CURRICULAR
This period covered part of summer and part of school.
Kaitlyn continued playing competitive soccer. More on that below.
She started piano back up when school started. She also started dance back up. She is also taking swimming lessons about once a week even though she long ago passed everything off. Her teacher still just helps her get better at strokes and learn to swim longer distances. At this point, she doesn’t want to join the swim team, but you never know what the future will bring. Plus we are there anyway since McKenna and Brinley are doing lessons (and it doesn’t cost us any more–we pay by the hour). Plus I think swimming is a fantastic sport to be adept in; even if she really only used it as a form of exercise as an adult, it would be worth it.
SOCCER
Soccer is going well. Kaitlyn has really enjoyed playing competitive soccer. I am very concerned about burning kids out of sports, and I think soccer is an easy one to burn out in. The season at a minimum is March through October. Longer if there is no snow on the ground before or after, and longer if indoor happens. But she likes it and misses it when she has a break.
THIRD GRADE
Kaitlyn is in third grade this year. She has a great teacher and great friends in her class. She really enjoys school. She is a great student. Our district starts gifted program at third grade and Kaitlyn has been put into it.
Kaitlyn is a perfectionist and it manifests in interesting ways. Brayden is also one, but they both show it differently. A challenge for Kaitlyn is taking tests that are voluntary. We had to make it a requirement that she take tests on books she reads. Her teacher has it as basically voluntary, but she does want children to take tests. Kaitlyn had only taken one a month into school. We talked to her about it and my suspicions were confirmed that she was worried she would fail. We sympathized with her concerns but assured her it would be okay if she didn’t pass (you can’t really brush off a perfectionist’s concerns over failure. “What’s the worst that could happen?” doesn’t sit well with them). She has been taking tests and is getting over her concerns (and passing her tests…). Kaitlyn finishes about a book every day, so she has plenty of books she can take tests on. I think after she has taken several, she will realize they aren’t so scary and get to be okay with them. This is a girl who didn’t get anything less than 100% on any test or worksheet until the very end of first grade, so she has some high expectations on herself.
RACE
Kaitlyn hates running–just plain running. I totally understand her feelings. Despite those feelings, our school does a race fundraiser every year. For two months, Kaitlyn ran a mile 5 days a week. The day of the race came and Kaitlyn was very concerned. She was sure she would come in dead last (back to that perfectionism thing). I assured her she wouldn’t because she had worked hard.
In the end, she came in as the fifth girl in her grade. She was thrilled! I love these moments when they see how hard work pays off.
SWEET
Kaitlyn is super sweet. I love seeing the natural, inborn talents become manifest in my children. One of Kaitlyn’s is her ability to love everyone, and she seems to have extra love for those who need it most. Kaitlyn is the type of person who loves the grumpy old man. She loves the sick elderly person who most children are afraid of. She nurtures young children.
There is a teacher at our school who Kaitlyn has never had who has some health problems. At times, this teacher is on oxygen. Kaitlyn has initiated being a penpal with this teacher. Kaitlyn will go visit her at recess and loves to write letters back and forth. In one letter, the teacher thanked her for not being scared of her oxygen tank because most children are.
I just love to see how sweet she is and how naturally she loves everyone around her.
SCHEDULE
School schedule:
7:00 AM–wake up. Eat breakfast. Get ready. Practice piano. Do morning chores. Read scriptures.
Then go to school.
4:00 PM–Home from school. Homework. Free play.
5:30 PM–Dinner. Then time with family.
7:00 PM Start getting ready for bed.
8:30 PM–in bed
GOOD BOOKS
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she sounds like she's doing great!I have one question as my oldest is about the same age and is NOW a picky eater. She never was before, it's been pretty much since the start of the year and it's driving us bonkers. We do not make different food for her, we have always been matter of fact about meals and eat diverse and varied foods. I think she's picked up bad habits from watching other kids eat at school (for example kids have crusts cut off their bread, don't eat that many fruits or veggies,etc). So things she's eaten fine for all her life she is picking at. Pretty much every dinner she is picking at something…for example she picks out the onions, the mushrooms, doesn't like the skin on anything or fat (and she finds this on any piece of meat even if there isn't it!), doesn't like stuffing as it's mushy, the sugar snap peas are stringy and chewy, doesn't like butter on bagels now, and the list goes on and on. Everyone else eats fine no problems. But this has been going on a while and then if she isn't eating well she must be hungry as i've found snack wrappers in her room (granola bars, crackers,etc)…….so she's sneaking food after dinner. At school i don't know exactly what she's eating…when at home i had cut out snacks and told her if she ate well she could have the snack (so she would have the AM snack with lunch after she ate lunch well,etc). Cut out the PM snack so she'd eat well dinner hopefully. There are some days it's better but overall it's been a continuous issue and noticeable mainly because she was not picky before. Do you have any ideas? or experience? I otherwise plan on asking the dr at my next appointment. I"m not sure if it's a "phase" as it's been a while. I am concerned that she enough healthy nutrition for a growing and active body.
I haven't heard of this before. I could see her acting like that at school to "fit in," but it surprises me she would do it at home. They say taste buds change every 7 years…I don't know when that starts 🙂 but she could be going through that. I would definitely have consequences for sneaking snacks. I think people are entitled to not like all foods. I have foods I don't like myself and I have no issues with my kids having things they don't care for. So I would definitely have allowances for personal taste preferences. But her change in behavior is odd. I would definitely ask your pedi. It could be some other issue manifesting itself with the food.
ok thank you i'm going to ask the group and see for any ideas or if this is a common phase. But yes i'm definitely going to ask the ped.