Gwyneth is only 4 and a half years old, but I realized today that she already has a whole other life outside of our family. I had a meeting at her school to extend some of her IEP goals (now that she has started walking) and it ended up covering the general parent-teacher conference as well. I was shocked to see how different Gwyn's school persona is from her personality at home.
During the meeting, Gwyn was crawling around and interacting with areas all over the classroom. She was very busy and active and engaged all on her own. At home, she is not very active and I have a very hard time motivating her to play independently, let alone "teach" her anything. She seems to sense when I get into "therapy mode" and she stubbornly resists those activities.
So I was surprised to see her pull up at a table to drink from her juice box, move around magnetic words on a board, point to words on a poster and "read" them, pull up at a chalkboard easel and draw with chalk and then use the eraser...... She went close to an area that was off limits (some electronics I think) and just before she touched it she looked at her teacher. The teacher gave her a stern look and Gwyn smiled mischievously and pulled her hand away. The teacher also showed me their sensory playroom in another part of the school and I saw Gwyn climbing all over bumpy foam mats and trying to jump on a mini trampoline with the teacher's help. It was a very eye-opening visit for me.
I didn't think it could start so early that Gwyn would have created another life for herself, but it has. Part of me is sad to see that there is so much that she experiences during her weekdays that I have no idea about. I feel especially in the dark because she cannot tell me any details of her day when she gets home. But mostly, I am proud that she is establishing an independent life outside of our family unit. I want her to learn to be her own person. I want her to learn how to get along without being completely dependent on us. I want her to build relationships with the people in her world. And today I saw the beginning of Gwyn's Other Life.
Gwyn has a very smart and caring mom. She is so special!
ReplyDeleteMo and Po