I found that trying too hard to do everything the way I saw other people doing it (which usually was for show, anyway) made me crazy. We’re more relaxed now about stuff, and the kids are learning. And I’m learning too. One thing I found out after we pulled Cody out of school: I had forgotten how to learn, really learn. I knew how to extract knowledge, but I’d forgotten how to learn. It’s starting to come back to me now, in our third year of doing this… good luck!

Plus, the kids have both developed an astute ability to “push my buttons” and it’s my notion that giving us time away from each other every day is LESS dysfunctional.

I also think, from being the type of Mom who is always hovering around the public school classroom, that there is an optimum age to send a child away to school, and it’s no early than about 6 years of age.

I feel sorry for little kids who are sent to preschool or all-day kindergarten, because many of them are in a haze due to the developmental inability to process what’s going on in their lives. The youngest children OUGHT TO be at home with Mom, in my opinion.

Dawn, I’m glad you’re trying to relax. I am trying to ease into a more structured day with the girls, since I am Mrs. StructureWhatsThat? and my main obstacle to getting some is that I try to do too much at once. So I am starting out small. Josie is only 5. I figure her main job is to play at this age. So I’m trying to give her all kinds of opportunities to do that.

While I get my act together, she’s busy learning stuff. Today she was able for the first time to tell me what time it was from the digital clock (almost–she said it was 8:30 when it was 8:53–but she was close!). She is displaying a lot of pre-reading behavior, too. And I’m not doing anything special.

Of course, Josie isn’t as studious a child as Noah, from what you’ve said. He sounds like a very focused, rather melancholic kiddo. Josie is sanguine with a dose of choleric. She has a naturally dreamy disposition and is very strong-willed at the same time. Nothing like a challenge, nu?