LOL! Hooray for sullen boys! I just have to laugh, because when we're at school functions or birthday parties, the other parents must think he's miserable.

DS brought home his schoolwork this week, and on one page there was a (defensive?) sticky note, "He chose this. He had a choice". DS said he chose it because ALL the other kids were doing it and he didn't want to be the only different one. The objective was to cut out about six missing alphabet letters and glue them in the right place in the alphabet. *sigh*

At home this week, we read the first chapters of The Number Devil and he was fascinated at the concept that numbers are infinitely large AND infinitely small. He has spent the past few days with questions to challenge that. Very tiring answering those questions because I don't find math 'fun'. But The Number Devil is a GREAT book and I'm learning a lot. Hee!

I also realized this week that I really believe DS needs to skip first grade. I have been so conservative with the grade skip subject, and I understand now that many of my reservations have been due to peer pressure. I have decided not to discuss it with my peers, and to make no apologies to school administration. It is the way it is. I have grown a backbone!

The biggest factor for me was my mother. She has taught first grade for 19 years, and she said there is no way they can do anything for him in first. When he was going into kindergarten, she had the opinion that he shouldn't skip due to emotional issues. Now that she feels the time is right, I am more certain that a skip is vital this year.

I have also told my husband that public school is probably only going to work for a few more years. In a few months (okay, several months), we should have our savings back to a place where we can have our own house built in this same neighborhood. I will work out a way to be home, at least part of the time, for DS. And if we have to eventually homeschool all the way, I will find some way to make it happen.

It's so great to have a place where people understand! I actually had people accuse me of lying about my son's abilities. That hurt! I initially went into internet hibernation, then I got really angry, and now I don't give a darn who believes me or not. But I still don't talk about DS to my peers, which stinks.

Hugs,

Christi