"I believed in myself!"

If this story doesn't show why our school is so great, and in particular why the Adventure Education element of our school is so necessary, I don't know what does. Middleman went on his 1st grade voyage this past week. The night that he returned from the trip he had his first flag football scrimmage. The poor kiddo hadn't yet even gotten to attend a practice because we got him signed up late, but he went anyway just to see what it was all about. When he came home he was over the moon because he almost got a touchdown (apparently his flag was pulled on the 1 yard line!). He said, "Mom, I almost scored a touchdown because I believed in myself!"  I told him that was such an important thing to do, and asked him where he had learned about that (figuring I knew the answer ;). To which he said, "At camp yesterday, I had to climb over this thing that was hard to get over, and the first time I tried it I couldn't do it because I didn't believe in myself. But then I tried again and I DID believe in myself, and I DID IT!"  His smile was absolutely endless.

Seriously -- that lesson in and of itself is worth it's weight in gold. I'm so happy for my boys that they are blessed enough to go to a school that not only teaches them how to read and write, but also helps them learn how to believe in themselves. Big puffy hearts abound!  I'm one very happy mama!

Ahhhh, and so it begins again.

Although it's already the second week of school, I'm still a bit in denial. Well, that was until today.  What happened today, you ask?  Numero Uno got his first homework assignment sent home. The simplest of all assignments, that even HE was saying was too easy for him, yet we spent more time discussing why he has to do homework than actually doing the homework itself. There were even tears. Again. That in itself brings the reality of school screaming back to me. My poor buddy just hasn't found a love for school (yet?). And yet Middle Man has been begging his 1st grade teacher for homework. And today when he finished reading his book to me, he literally said, "I LOVE HOMEWORK!". Seriously? Yes, seriously.

Thus I have to ask -- what causes one to be one way, and the other to be the total polar opposite? What can I do to help instill a love for learning in one child, and cling like the dickens to the positive outlook of the other?  The funny thing is that my brother and I were exactly the same way. He couldn't stand school -- just wasn't ever really into it. I had this freakishly nerdy LOVE for all things school related. It was so much easier for me in that way, so for that reason I feel for Numero Uno. I know he's not necessarily choosing this negative mentality, though he definitely is the only one who can change it. Or is he?

I love all of my kids for their little individual personalities. I do, however, have that motherly fear of what those strong personalities will mean for them in the future. Numero Uno may just continue to struggle with "performing" as to school expectations. Middle Man may not stop being the comedian long enough to ever be taken seriously (he is beyond funny, though). And while I'm currently not yet worried that Baby Pooper will be held back by his addiction to nursing, one must never say never ;)

One thing I CAN say for sure, all three of my boys totally ROCK. Homework tears and all.