Parent Teacher Conference time....

 

I am happy to report that sitting down with Makenna's teacher was a lot less painful than the notes we have been getting lately from school:)  We finally did get to sit down and discuss Makenna's "hitting issues" and try to figure out what is triggering it and how we can work with her teachers to better manage it.  It is tough because we don't see her around other kids very much and she really is such a sweet girl that I have a hard time imagining that she is this big 'ol bully.  What we did find after a little probing is that it appears to be stemming from a more social issue - there are 2 other girls in her class that are there every day and Makenna is only there 2 days a week.  On the days Makenna is there she really wants the other girls to include her and play with her but sometimes they just don't and out of frustration she resorts to hitting them sometimes.  I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle it on our end - she already knows hitting is wrong and knows that she gets rewarded with a fruit snack and a trip to the library if she has a good day at school.  She also knows that if I get a naughty note there is no fruit snacks, no library, no ipad and no TV.  In fact, before she goes to bed and night sometimes we will pray that she will be a good girl at school the next day and that she would have "gentle hands" and she will say - then I get a fruit snack, and library, and TV, and Ipad!!  So I know she gets it, I think she just struggles in the heat of the moment.  It also seems to happen more frequently at lunch time which is when she is just tired & worn out & doesn't really have the problem solving skills working the best anymore.  It also makes sense because Makenna does have such a big heart and really does just want everyone to be her friend.  At least once a week she will look at me and say, "Mommy, will you be my friend?" or "Daddy, will you be my friend?"  Anytime we are out in public and we see a group of girls playing - she instantly wants to join in the fun and be their friend.  Poor little girl just wants everyone to love her:)  Hopefully in time she will learn better socializing skills and now that we have pinpointed it a little better, her teacher has assured us she will keep a closer eye on it and work on teaching Makenna better skills in the moment.  She also agreed with me that the note Makenna got from her other teacher that said "Makenna has a REALLY hard time making good choices" was a bit over the top and had she written the letter she would have softened it up a bit.  That was encouraging for me to hear that it wasn't just me being overly sensitive about it. 

 

Other than that little "issue" Makenna is doing great at school and they love having her in class.  Her teacher did say that she has some serious leadership potential (I'm pretty sure that was her nice way of saying God can use her bossiness for good) and that she has such nice manners & a sweet little personality.  Not bad for a not even 3 year old:) 

 

I love the note on the report card: "Makenna has been blessed with an abundance of character" - too funny! 

 

One other thing I keep meaning to blog about before I forget it - and I still need to catch it on tape - is how many times she says "good morning" to us each day.  She says it at least 10 times when she wakes up in the morning, in this sweet little voice and then she says it randomly all throughout the day.  I have discovered that she uses it to sense my mood and if I'm happy or sad or mad or crabby:)  She'll look me right in the eye and say "good morning, mommy" and then await a response.  She'll also do it a lot when she is in a really good mood - the morning of our "family day" she just kept saying it over and over on our ride down to the museum.  It's pretty funny, actually and one of those things that you really need to experience in person but I wanted to jot it down before I forget about it and she grows out of it.