Growing Pains

This has been a very hard week. I think one of the hardest things as a mom I have had to do is watch my children grow up. I don't mean the "I can't believe they are this old" kind of pain I'm talking about the "I can't fix this for them" kind of pain. As a few of you know and have joined me in my prayer team I built for my youngest, E3, he is having a hard time learning to read. I picked up on this last year and made sure he was tutored all through the summer (one hour twice a week). He did really well. A 1st grade teacher from their school that was leaving her 1st grade position to be the teacher that tutored and put together special learning plans for those students that needed extra help, was his tutor. She knew what he would need. She and E3 worked hard and she had him ready. However school has started and E3 is struggling with reading. Many of my close friends know how this hurts me because I am a HUGE reader. I love to read and pray to pass this love on to my children. I volunteer in the school library 2xs a week so the librarians can go to the Lower campus and have "Library time" with the younger kids. Why? I just can't imagine a child going to the library and it being closed! What a crusher! Any way, reading is important and I was one of those goofy pregnant moms that read to her baby! So you can see why this would hurt. The 1st week of school E3 and I worked hard on his sight words. We read the list, we made flash cards, we played games. He knew those words at bedtime the night before the test. The out come? A 55 on his 1st test. The 2nd week we did more reading of list, more flash cards, more games. He could read every word again. The outcome? A 70. I was crushed! I quickly emailed his teacher and his tutor and had a meeting. The meeting took place the night after E3 cried himself to sleep, sobbing and saying "I'm so stupid." I don't think I have cried so hard! E1 quickly stepped in and cooked us dinner (with my help). Remember she is only 13! What a trooper she is! The next morning we meet and came up with a game plan. That was the 1st time I have ever broken down in front of my kids teachers. I was humbled. I couldn't "fix" my son. I felt helpless. That same night we played and worked with the flashcards again. He proudly sat in his daddy's lap and read every word! Let me just throw in here what a blessing it was to have dad home to watch this all unfold. He is usually out of town this time of year. On the way to school, after we dropped off E1 and E2 at the upper campus, I reminded E3 that he had a test this morning. He responding with a grunt and a groan and said he wished we had studied more. I don't what made me think to say what came out of my mouth (come on, we all know where it came from! I had so many people praying for us!) but I turned around to look him in the eyes (at the red light) and told him that those sight words were nothing more than letters on paper and you are bigger, braver and smarter than ANY word. He looked right back, smiled and said, "you're right mom!" The outcome? Take a look! Can you see that? It's a 90!!! YES!!! He made a 90!!! He was so proud of himself! Of course we all are! Mrs. D (his teacher) emailed me while I was in the Library. I was so excited. After I called J to let him know I locked up the Library and ran down stairs to his tutor and let her know! YES!!! I locked the Library! I don't know if my pep talk is what helped or all those prayers or what but HE DID IT!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH MRS. D AND MRS. C!!! Look at the joy in his face! Yours too Mrs.D! What a wonderful school to be a part of! Now I know without a doubt that we are at the right place! Boy! growing pains hurt don't they?