Age-Appropriate

Some good news and some bad news.

The good:
-M seems to be outgrowing the need for pull-ups overnight. We're thrilled that his little body is catching up to his longstanding desire to be diaper-free.
-All of M and K's teachers evaluate their cognitive ability, social behavior, etc, as being age-appropriate in every way. They particularly laud K's rapid language skills growth in the last few months. It is so beautiful to hear compound-complex sentences coming out of her rosebud mouth, to hear her frankly asking for the meanings of words and how to spell them. (No, she's not reading yet. But give her a few minutes....)

In other words, despite the trauma our kids experienced in their early lives--for instance, being moved from birth home to orphanage and then orphanage to here--they are right on target. Peter and I are nothing short of amazed.

The bad:
-K continues to exhibit imperious and loudmouthed behavior. I sure hope it's age-appropriate for a 62-month-old girl to yell at her mother first thing in the morning, "I didn't want you! I wanted Papa!" And to tell her little brother to quit smiling at her. And to frown like a thundercloud. Sheesh. Peter and I frequently discuss which behaviors to ignore and which to discipline. (Ignore = "hope it will extinguish on its own if we don't let it get a rise out of us" and discipline = "remove K from the situation for 5 minutes and/or until she can behave politely.") I suppose she's doing okay, since she behaves beautifully outside the home, has plenty of friends, and is starting to refuse the company of unkind children. Still, I dread her teenage years.

-M is into wrestling and throwing stuff. Duck! He uses K as a tackling dummy at every opportunity and won't desist when she tells him to. (I've been reviewing the rule "Stop means stop!" a lot.) He throws everything all the time. He doesn't seem in the least angry--even his superhero dreams have sweet endings (e.g. he gives the monster a hug)--but he won't stop using his large muscles. Ever. I believe this is normal for a boy his age, but it's hard to cope with. He does not cause trouble at school. I try to give him lots of outdoor time now that the weather is warm, and Peter and I are trying to teach him not, "Don't ever do that" but, "Stop when the other person tells you to." I also want to try, "Ask first."