3 Southern Belles

Big Sigh.  I can't believe it.  Today, December 1st, 2008, I sat at the kitchen table with my daughter who is 3 years 3 months and some days and helped her with her first homework assignment.  My mind is reeling.  Partly because -- wow! -- I just helped my three year old with homework, partly because -- wow! My 3 year old has homework!  And, also, my three year old has homework because she was playing around instead of doing her work like she was supposed to.  I know this sounds ridiculous, and even thinking this was bound to doom me forever, but I honestly didn't think any child of mine would be anything but superbly well-behaved in the classroom.  Now, aside from the whole "bootyhead incident" Greta has been extremely well-behaved, and her teacher did say that usually Greta just gets down to work and does a great job.  However, today her and "the bad influence" decided that instead of tracing their letter c's they would draw circles all over their paper, and instead of coloring shapes the appropriate colors they would (as bad influence announced) "color the shapes what I want to".  So, thus we sat at the table doing homework.  Big Sigh.  But, it was probably the most amount of fun I will ever have helping her with homework.  I made her redo the shape coloring sheet, after she did (a remarkable job may I add) her tracing.  We sang a little bit about the letter c and talked about how both Clara and Chris (they learned their parents' names a few weeks ago) start with C.  Watching her little hand work so hard at getting the paper at just the right angle, manuevering the crayon (I don't know why she didn't have a pencil, it was a sharp crayon though), and then watching her try to write with the other hand because her left hand was tired.  Oh, it was divine.  I couldn't have been in a better place, at a better time.  The homework is placed on the counter ready to take back to school tomorrow to show her teacher how well she did.  Now all I have to do is make sure it doesn't sit there all day.  Big Sigh.