We Would Never Saddle Her With a 'Genius' Label

Margaret received her reading assessment score yesterday, something the teacher will go over with us at the first parent-teacher conference. As Margaret explained it, a score of 55 is reading at the grade level (in her case, sixth-grade reading level). A score in the 80s is something in the post-doctorate level. Margaret scored a 76. It's a little intimidating to have a child who probably reads at a higher level than her mother. But this kid has adored books since she could sit up in my lap. She told me the other day that the teachers at Stafford are always telling the kids they have to always have a book going. One of the study halls is silent reading only. She said it was a dumb requirement "since I always have at least one book going." Jeesh. We're more than a little proud.

I have to say the more they go to the pubic schools and the more I hear about their days, the more confident I am in our decision to send them there. Margaret had a session on a climbing wall in gym class the other day. Patricia's teacher breaks into song and plays the piano at any given moment. She wants to join chorus. Both girls have access to wonderfully equipped computer labs. The down sides: they have to decide in the morning what to wear since at St. Peter's they wore uniforms; and they have no spiritual curriculum woven into the coursework. That's the tradeoff, I suppose. We'll have to make sure they continue in their spiritual journey through other means. One of those means is religious education classes, something we endured as kids but that I hope have changed over the years. This is one thing I don't think the girls are going to be as accepting of. When we told them they were going to go to public school, Patricia broke into tears. At first, I thought it was because of her having to change schools. She said, "Does this mean we'll have to go to religious education?" I know the feeling.

Baby Brigid, meanwhile is still working through her cold. Last night, I gave her baby Dimetap but I don't know if it helped. Her nose is quite runny and she's coughing a little. So am I, so I don't know if I caught the cold from her, if she from me or if we both caught it from Margaret, who had cold symptoms last week. She gave Jenny another marathon bout of crying yesterday afternoon. Poor Jenny, she called later to say she's worried Brigid doesn't like her. I said I think Brigid is just going through some kind of stranger anxiety thing that hit at the right time developmentally. If anyone can do anything with babies it's our Jenny, so she has no reason to worry. I think we might, however, because who wants to sit with a screaming baby for an hour and a half each day? Brigid may have even pushed Jenny to the point of not ever wanting children of her own! Our Baby B, who's always so happy and engaging, is getting a reputation for being a crankpuss and a screamer, at least from 1-2:15 p.m. However, she has had an ear infection; then her second tooth came through; then she's developed this cold, so perhaps timing is just lousy all the way around and Jenny has been on the receiving end each time. I have to remind Brigid she can't dis our Jenny. We've had our Jenny a lot longer than we've had our Brigid. Some things are set in stone.