Confessions of a Deadbeat Mother

Nothing can make you feel more like a deadbeat mother than watching your 3 year-old write her name and draw a picture of herself. A few months ago Emma started drawing pictures of herself, and then yesterday as we were writing valentines day cards to grandparents, she wrote her name. No one in the family taught her to do either of those things--she just learned it by watching I guess. I was excited for her, but felt pretty dumb that I had missed this milestone in her life. So I decided to quiz her further and found out that she knows lots of letters, and most all of her shapes too...not helping me feel any better!

With Tanner & Abby, I didn't miss anything. I knew everything, and I marked it all in their baby books. Things sure have changed. I guess that our kids are learning things from so many people, but it is also tough for me to give up my control, and let them be affected by the outside world. I am grateful that the older kids are such a good example for Emma and Keira. They learn so much from eachother. I think every mom of multiple kids will tell you that this happens--but it was a good reminder to me that we as parents should take more special time with Emma and with all of our kids.

I thought that I should include a little picture of what Emma did yesterday. It's pretty hard to see, but we thought that it was cute! She is the girl with the purple hair, and Emma is written underneath it in pink. It's no Picasso, but if you right click on the picture it will come up in a large format that you can actually see the writing.