Figuring Out Emma

Every child is different. Although I can definitely see similarities, each kid is a different blend of strengths, talents, and interests. Often times I can even see exact traits that have been passed down from me or Paul to one of our kids. Paul Ivan has my hair and Isaac has his dad's. Paul and Isaac have their dad's body style and Rebekah has mine. Paul Ivan has my demeanor, and I'm guessing Isaac has his dad's, but I wasn't around in Paul's youth to confirm that. Maybe some traits come out of thin air.

It's fun for me to see the traits my children share. As Emma is growing, I see different talents come out in her. She has the feistiness of Isaac and the tenderness of Rebekah. She has an imagination unto her own. Her academic interests are very familiar to me. Trying to teach her the alphabet and colors and shapes has brought back many memories of my first attempts at preschool education.

Paul Ivan was a fun toddler. He was into a lot of normal things--climbing, cupboards, messes. He kept me busy. Whenever I tried to harness his energy and focus his attention on learning, he would blow me off. Seriously. He wasn't having any of it. He had memorized a list of colors and whenever I asked him what color something was, he would respond with his list of colors. He looked really smart if the item was a color on the top of his list, but if it happened to be a color on the bottom of the list, he didn't look so smart. I figured him out quickly. He actually started kindergarten not being able to identify the alphabet or tell what sounds each letter made. But look at him today. He's in sixth grade, in Gifted and Talented classes, and a straight-A student. He's come a long way.

Despite my best efforts to give Emma a head start, she is on the same path as Paul. But this time, I have a secret weapon--experience. I've been a mom for 11 1/2 years now. I know what I'm doing this time. When she started rebelling against the "what color is this?" game, I changed the game to the "go get the yellow one" game. I've also figured out that she likes to spell. She may not be able to point to the letter "C" or tell me what sound it makes, but she spent all day yesterday addressing me as "M-O-M". I address her as "E-M-M-A". We've moved onto d-a-d, y-e-s, n-o and even P-a-k-a. I'm proud of her. She's proud of herself.

I don't know if she'll achieve all that Paul Ivan has achieved, but I know that I'm better equipped to help her. I'm grateful to my ward friends who invited us to participate in a once-a-week preschool. Emma's preschool time has helped to ignite a love of learning. The flame is still small, but growing every day.

And I'm grateful to a Heavenly Father that protects first-born children so they are not damaged by their mothers' inexperience. Sorry Paul, but someone had to be my guinea pig.