Heredity Is a Funny Thing

Well, it has been a little over month since the summer break began and I have been seriously slacking on some of my mommy jobs.
Like education.
I am supposed to be preparing my daughter for third grade and I no can't want it. It's summer and I do not want to do flash cards, review math skills, teach her cursive or listen to her read. I do this every day of the school year for hours on end.
I just want to relax. Is that possible?
Nope.
So, I am hiking my behind to the education store today to purchase more handwriting paper and some practice books on cursive. I have to do it or she will freak next year. Really, I just would rather let her play and be a kid. I know this probably sounds so morose and I realize she is only going into third grade, but I feel like if I do not prepare her for this year, she will freak on me and take too long to recover. Then she will fall behind and not do so well on that asinine standardized testing we here in Florida call FCAT.
At the risk of sounding all negative like, it seems that this is the last summer before everything she does counts towards her path in life. Her future. Her academic career.
How crazy is that?
It is sad, but unfortunately true. Believe it or not, how a child does in third grade determines their path for middle school and that ultimately decides their path for high school and eventually college.
Yep.
Wish I could say I was making it up. But I'm not.
And it is so frustrating. Because really now, how is a child, at seven or eight, really developed enough to be able to understand these concepts?
Answer-they are not.
The fact of the matter, as I have seen with my own three children, is they all develop differently. They reach different milestones at different times and learn different skills, at different times, any number of different ways.
She is what I call a late bloomer.
I also experienced late bloomeritis, which affected my high school and almost prevented me from going to college. In elementary and middle school, my grammar, reading and math skills were very low. I needed constant tutoring to be able to keep up in school. Good thing I loved school or else it would have been way more problematic for me.
Watching Panda struggle, I realize now that my problem was focusing and maturity.
Just like her.
Once I was able to grasp the material being taught, I didn't forget it. I was able to master it and apply it.
Panda is just like me.
I made it through elementary and middle school because of the tutoring. The tutoring allowed me to hold my own until I developed the maturity I needed to be able to focus. This unfortunately did not occur until high school and really affected my academic track.
I don't want Panda to have this same problem.
So, I work really hard with her to help her overcome her weaknesses and give her what she needs to be successful. This means we work each day after school and I teach her the skills she needs to master over and over, until she gets it. Sometimes we are both in tears, sometimes I am yelling and sometimes it goes really smooth. I never know how it is going to turn out. I just hold my breathe, dive in and get to it.
I have to otherwise she will fall through the cracks, and then it will be too late.
And so this summer is no different. It is time to get to work and I don't want to. I just want her to enjoy her summer and be a kid.
This coming school year, it begins. Her whole school career begins on "record" and I don't want her to go through what I went through. No stress and no worries about moving up the next year. Fortunately like me, my Panda Bear loves school. Thank goodness or my job would be infinitely harder.
But, I gotta suck it up now and put on my big girl panties.
Oops, they are already on.
Damn! When and how did that happen? :)
Seriously.
It's time for me stop being such a slacker mom, whip out those flash cards and practice my cursive and get her ready.
Sometimes I just no can't want it.