Our Little Inquirer

We recently had Audia's end-of-year parent-teacher conference and it is so cool to see how far she's come this school year! Because of her age and the standard cut off for the 3-4 year preschool classes being one week before her birthday, she was in a special class at her school for kids that turned 3 between September 1st and December 31st. The class is a little lighter academically than the standard 3-4 class, and she will be the oldest in her 3-4 year class next year. But, I digress. As a first-time mom, as well as a person who really doesn't have much comparison when it comes to what is 'normal' for a 3 year old, I have felt like it has been difficult to gauge whether or not she is actually advanced in the areas that I feel like she is. Namely, her vocabulary and how incredibly inquizitive and insightful she can be. (Just this morning, out of the blue, she said to me, "Callen sure is quiet this morning, mom. I hope he's feeling ok!") So, it was really nice to hear from her teacher how advanced she really is in these areas; that her ability to look ahead into the future and also to look at the 'big picture' and ask very specific questions is, in fact, impressive for her age. It was also fun to hear that she makes it her job to make sure that everyone gets a turn with the toys in the gym and that she plays well with everyone in the class, boys and girls alike. Sometimes I find myself lost in a maze of worrying about this, that, and the other thing with her behavior and development and to hear from her teacher that she is doing really well makes it easier to step back from the worry and relax a bit. She is so compassionate, and helpful, and bright, and just downright funny. I feel like now that I know that she is doing ok, and even excelling in areas, I can enjoy all of those great qualities a little more freely.