Really Random and Long Thoughts

Random thoughts.

So far the kids love swimming lessons!! They are usually vying for my attention in the car to tell me everything they did. Yesterday Kylie said after we were getting close to home, "It's my turn to talk cause Landon talked most of the time." I love it. I am really hoping that we can make it to the pool, or at least out in the lake so they can practice what they learned.

Yesterday I got to have Rochelle's boys at my house for a little while. It was so much fun. There was a lot of boy playing (trains, game boy, football throwing, toilet tag, etc). At some point outside there were a couple of boys that came to play too. The whole while Kylie is a great sport and enjoys playing these games but I kept thinking I am so glad she is getting a sister. We had our Lunch 'n Munch group on Tuesday and out of at least ten kids Kylie was also the only girl. Around our house there is tons of boys to play with but we never seem to see any girls outside. She needs a girl to paint nails with, play dolls and do extremely girly things with. Thank goodness she has a lot of girl cousins to satisfy her until her sister can help too.

Random thoughts about Landon. He has always been my most difficult child. Sometimes I have to tell myself that Heavenly Father wouldn't give me anything I can't handle so help me out please. Lately I have really thought that each child is so different. Sure all my kids are monkeys that climb into and up everything, and are really busy bodies. But I also feel that what is the most effective parenting for one child is totally different for another. So lately I have been praying that I will be able to know how and that I will be able to parent each of my children so they will reach there fullest potential. I can see in each of my children them being a whirlwind for good or bad. Does every parent see that in their children?

So I have also been thinking that Landon might be more like Marcus in some ways then I previously thought. Marcus for the most time is a very quite guy. He is not good a expressing his sympathy. I know when I had morning sickness he felt bad, but he really couldn't express it well enough for me. He just really would agree with me that he hoped I would stop being sick. We can have conversations about things or ask how food, day, opinion on different things and he will use one word - fine - to describe a multitude of emotions. Most of the time I can really drag things out and he can really open up to me. We have great conversations and he can really chat and go on for a long time - which I love.

But now looking at Landon I wonder if I have a hard time seeing that he feels bad when he does something wrong because he doesn't express them in a way that I understand. When he hurts someone I don't see sympathy from him. I remember when he was two and my mom came to visit she said he really tightened up when Kylie cried and would hit her because he was frustrated. He can't stand it when one of his siblings is struggling and runs out of the room with his hands over his ears and leaves. I think he has a hard time cooping. But it looks like he just leaves. Earlier this week Kylie shoved a bead up her nose pretty far. As she was crying and panicking and we were trying to get her to blow it out, Landon ran for the front door with saying I can't handle it. She finally blew it out and was fine - except for a sore nose. We had to call Landon back in the house, and he told us he was praying by the door. How sweet is that! But he has always been a very serious boy. I remember as a baby it was so hard to get him to laugh. And watching my niece Savannah giggle just to get attention and couldn't believe other babies could do that.

Anyways most of this is random thoughts I have had. But I have to say I don't think it is a boy vs girl thing. Even though Kylie is very emotional and cries in movies and books already. I always thought my dad was very sympathetic. Maybe because he was dad, but I remember him always putting and arm around me, or letting me snuggle him when I had a bad dream. Or saying something nice when he thought the rest of the family was teasing too much. So is there a way to teach kids sympathy, and how to be more expressive of their emotions. Or do they come a certain way that that is what you get?

On a lighter note I have 10 weeks left. And I finally relented in letting Landon read Harry Potter. He has been bugging me for over a year. I had him read me a page out of it, and he pretty much could read all of the words. I decided to call my MIL to see her opinion about it. I was fine with the first HP book, but not nessarlily the others right now. Marilyn was a school teacher and principle so I thought she would have a good idea. I asked her what she thought and on the fly gave me the idea to let him read one HP book a summer. So that is our plan. Landon readily agreed to it. I also told him if he doesn't know a word he needs to come ask me so he can learn it. I don't know if Landon will always be an advanced reader, but I am still working out the difficultly of what to you do when you child can read way above his age group, but isn't mature enough of the content level that he can read.