When my kids turned five we combined the office and guest bedroom and gave each kid their own bedroom. It was fun painting and decorating the rooms…one pink and the other blue. It was different for my kids at first. They had been together for so long it took some getting used to. We just felt it was time for them to have their own space.
Then came kindergarten, the first day of school was hard…for me that is. I cried after I dropped the twins off and waited anxiously for the bus to bring them home. I decided to keep my kids in the same class for kindergarten, it not only was easier to have them both in the same class, it was reassuring to me that they were together. My kids enjoyed school. I worked with my kids all summer long preparing them for school. We read a lot! There are so many fun activities available for children to give them a head start in school, I highly recommend it.
I started volunteering in the classroom shortly after the school year began. It was a great way to get to know the teacher and students and to be able to see first hand what was going on in the classroom. Interacting with other students also gave you an idea socially and developmentally where children were at this age. It was definitely a positive experience. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the students and being a support system for their teacher.
My kids started playing soccer in kindergarten. It was a lot of fun and great exercise. Learning how to be a member of a team was also beneficial. My daughter decided after her first season that she didn’t want to play soccer, but wanted to do gymnastics instead. My son kept playing soccer until third grade when he decided to try flag football.
In regards to school, I decided to keep my kids together in the same class through third grade. I continued working in the school and I found it to be a wonderful experience getting to know all of the students. My kids were doing very well in school. I worked with them a lot outside of school and during the summer. Reading instead of T.V. was always encouraged. I was lucky that academically and socially my children were doing well.
When issues did come up we always talked about it. My kids were forming their own identities and friends, which was good. Third grade was the last year that we had a combined birthday party. My kids still got along, but they had different interests. My son loved sports and playing rough and my daughter was more interested in art. I encouraged them to be their own person. In addition, I worked with them on settling disagreements on their own. They were growing up…
