Learning Curve

I had a great discussion today with a friend about schooling. Her oldest is one month older than Max, so we're pretty much in the same boat when it comes to looking toward the future. It was fun to think about where he will be spending much of his time in the years to come. Will we homeschool? Will he go to St. Joseph's? Charter school? There are so many good options.

Then I had to take a breath. When did we get here? When did Max get old enough that we need to think about school? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was a tiny baby in my arms?? You seasoned moms are laughing at me- "it only gets faster"... I've heard it a million times. But wow! I mean WOW! Where does time go?

And every day he is soaking up information like a sponge. Right now he has a love of letters and spelling- he likes to list off an assortment of letters and asks what he just spelled. "What does A-Z-O-X-Q-R-T spell?" And I am left trying to pronounce the non-word that he has just spelled for me. Occasionally, he'll stumble upon a real word, which he loves! "I-O-N" was the latest, although trying to define the word "ion" to a three-year-old is no easy task.

He has also become quite an artist. Give him a pen and a notebook and he is content for an hour. Nine times out of ten, he draws a pirate ship... but he's starting to branch out a little. He also likes to draw people, houses, rockets and animals, and often the pictures are recognizable! It still astounds me. I think he's taking after his Uncle Tony in the visual arts department.

 I always knew there would be many rewarding things about parenting, but I realize that one of my favorites is watching my kids learn! It's fascinating to see them engage with their world: taking in new information, processing it, sorting it, and using it. How exciting!