School Boy

That boy right there, yeah he's my son. My six year old Kindergartener.

What a handsome little boy we have.  Or, "medium boy" as Alex likes to refer to himself because Max is a "little boy" and Dad is a "big boy".

He's not just a pretty face either, he's smart and talented.  Our first parent / teacher conference was yesterday and we met with his teacher about how he's doing so far in school.  He's doing fantastic actually.  He started school with a good understanding of the alphabet (sounds and letter recognition), some writing, and reading skills, numbers and math and he's been able to expand on that with leaps and bounds in the few weeks he's been in school.  He loves doing the work, he loves his teacher, and the other students, school has been a very positive experience for him so far. 

The teacher commented that he is very good with scissors and coloring, which is to be expected because he's been an avid cutter and colorer for years now.  She says he's the best in the class and one of his cutting projects (circles) was nearly as good as her example project.  Naturally we're bragging about it every chance we get :)

She said that when she asked him who his friends were, he said Addie and Robert.  Addie is a little girl, and Alex has always been quite the ladies man, so I was not surprised.  Robert is a little boy with Downs Syndrome in his class.  His teacher said that when kids like Alex are kind and friendly to Robert, it helps him to adjust and makes school a better experience.  Alex talks about Robert a lot, says he doesn't or can't talk, has trouble writing etc.  I am proud that Alex has been able to befriend someone different from himself.  He notices the differences between them but rather than be afraid of them he has chosen to focus on the fact that they are both little boys and they are both 6 years old and they are both in Kindergarten and they both like cars.  I know this is easier for little kids, and as he gets older it might be harder to see past differences in his peers.  For now though, people are just people, everyone is different and the same and everyone is worthy of kindness.  I hope he will continue to think this way...forever.

Starting school has proven to be just as exciting as when he was a baby.  New experiences almost every day, new milestones and so many things to look forward to.  In fact, this age might even be funner than when he was a baby because back then only John and I got to keep the memories.  His first smile, his first words, his first steps, his first poop on Daddy...  Now he's making memories for himself too.