I’m not sure if this is worth worrying about this early BUT I noticed something strange on Milla’s homework.

One of her assignments was to cut out these little pictures, and of the 6 that were there she was to take the pictures/words that began with the letter “A” and glue them to this paper tree. She took it upon herself to write the words on the pictures as well (just by copying what was already there), but as I was looking at them, every word she wrote was spelled backwards.

This moring when he dropped her off, Chris asked her teacher about it and they said they were glad she was writing the words at all and asked if she’d had any other schooling before this, implying that she was doing very well for a child her age. Again, she’s only 4 and it’s preschool so I don’t know that this is cause for concern. I know you aren’t supposed to compare children either but I don’t remember Riley EVER writing her words backwards and she started writing her name at age 3.

Whatever it is, I’m not too worried. If it turns out to be dyslexia we’ll get through it, I just don’t know if this is typical preschool behavior (because I only have the one child to compare it too) or if I ought to be worried?

Note: updated 10/12/07

I did some reading on dyslexia and it doesn’t seem like she has it. Besides the writing thing, she understands things/directions (when she wants to) and speaks normally for a child her age.

I also had to remind myself that when Riley started pre K she was 5 (because she missed that stupid/strict Sept 1 cut off) so she was a year ahead of Milla. 

Milla’s handwriting is REALLY good and her coloring is amazing! It was just shocking to see those words written so well, only backwards. They could have been mirror images (If I get the paper back I’ll post a copy of it)

Thanks for all your advice and encouragement

Be forwarned, this may not be an interesting read. Even though I have nothing really important or entertaing to say, I’m bored. And even though there’s plenty of stuff I could do around my house, I’m never THAT bored that housework seems like a good alternative! So I have decided to write about what a diva my four year old child is and how peer pressure is already getting to her at such a young school age!

First of all I should start by thanking her this morning because yesterday, the girls spent the night at their dad’s which meant I didn’t have to wake up at 6:45, but I graded homework for Riley’s teacher so I had to meet her at her bus stop anyway to give back the papers for her to turn in. This is why I changed my alarm from 6:15 (because I require several sessions of 10 minute snoozing before I actually emerge from my bed) to 7:20. The funny thing is, last night when I went to bed, I knew to check my alarm because I thought there was a reason I should, so I looked at my phone, saw the alarm was on and was satisified with that, completely forgetting to set it back to the correct time. Anyway, Milla crawled into bed with me and started chatting away about whatever it was she was saying. I heard a few “mommy, I love you”s and I gave out a few “you’d better not pee in my bed”s. When I realized she was abnormally upbeat and energetic for 5am (which is usually when she pops her head in my room) I looked at the clock…SHIT! 7:17!! I have to get Riley up, dressed, feed her breakfast, make her lunch and leave for the bus by 7:35. Luckily for me, Riley woke up at the same time so I was quickly able to bully her into getting dressed fast and not infront of the TV, I had one cereal bar that she could eat on her way to the bus stop and THANK GOD for lunchables! We were ready with time to spare…so again, THANK YOU MILLA (even if she did only wake me up 2 minutes before my alarm, I may have thought it was 6:15 and kept hitting snooze without looking at the time)!

Back to Diva Milla. This is an everyday battle with this child. We start with what she’s going to wear to school. This should not be as hard as it is because she is required to wear a red shirt. The problem is, she has several red Tshirts with the name of her school on it that she could wear with shorts or jeans (which are all way to small for her (ankle wise) but she won’t wear anything that is even slightly too big or touches the bottom of her foot, and you can just FORGET rolling them up…”that’s insane mom, what are you thinking?!!!“) but skirts are her favoritest thing ever! Of course, she can’t wear the skirt she wants with a tshirt *gasp* so she picks this cute little red shirt with no sleeves. Now today (and Chris is going to roll his eyes and laugh at me for saying this) is slightlychilly by hypersensitive and overworriesome FL mother standards so I tell her she has to wear a light jacket, but it covers up her pretty shirt so we have to argue over that. She finally coneeds to TAKE IT WITH HER just in case she GETS cold in the car. Obviously a tactic just to humor her mother and shut her up.

On to her hair, I like her hair in two little pigtails. They’re adorable and her hair is really too short for anyting else, but she likes one pony tail in back because her friends Avery and Shayla wear their hair like that. I took a shot going for the pigtails thinking “she’s in a cute skirt maybe she won’t want her hair “tshirt” style” but NOOOOO!!! I could not have been MORE wrong! This leads to morning meltdown number 2 in our daily routine where she drops to the ground crying about how she wants it her way to which I always says “I’m not doing it!” slam the brush down and walk away only to go back in there two minutes later to see her attempting to do it herself which always melts my icy cold “meanie mommy” heart and I give in and give her what she wants. What pissed me off today was that I brushed her hair all up to make her one pony tail, and she says “I wanted two…” UGH!!!! I yell, “YOU’RE GETTING ONE!” and we were fine after that…

Oh my God, that little brat used reverse psychology on me and I totally fell for it!! Damn…she’s good! Fuck…*throws hands up in defeat* I’m screwed!!

We spent the rest of the morning playing Monkey Ball until she had to leave for school. At this time I am rewarded with hugs and kisses and I loves you for being such a wonderful, tolerant, “soft” (is another adjective she likes to use to describe me), and the obviouslyeasily manipulated mommy that I am, but only after I have to yell to her as she’s running out the door “uh…hello?!! Hugs?!”

and she’s not even a teenager yet…*le sigh*

I waited at Riley’s bus stop 15 minutes past it’s usual arrival time before I called the school and found out there had been an accident (poor Milla had to pee so bad, I eventually had to take her behind a neighbor’s tree to go…sorry neighbor). I didn’t panic because the woman I talked to said everyone was okay. They told me that they were sending another bus out there to pick up the students to drop them off at their stops.

I have no idea what happened, who’s fault it was, or how the drivers of the other cars are. Riley said the light was green when the bus went through it but the car hit the bus and the car behind it hit the car.

Riley’s ok, physically anyway. She looked sad when she got off the bus but she said she was okay. Once we got home though she started crying REALLY hard. This is her first car accident EVER, and not to have her family with her had to be scary as hell for her! She’s okay now, fighting with her sister as usual. I decided to give her a homework break tonight so that she could relax. I can tell she’s stressed though…

To top off this shit day, the AC in our house may be going It’s not blowing cold air and it was working fine this morning…

For fun, the girls like getting new paint tattoos… be nice, I’m not pro and keep in mind, my canvas is constantly moving