thanks everyone. I am really not that obsessive about coloring. It was just an example. She actually has amazing drawing and coloring and fine motor skills, but I see patterns of her intentionally doing things at a lower skill level at school.
The more I think about it, the more I realize I have gotten uptight about some things, in this case coloring, because I know that fine motor skills are one way children are judged in school in the lower grades and it may somehow keep her teachers from letting her work ahead. We wanted her to skip to K and I know they are judging her every move to give them reasons to keep her in pre-K. If I can just relax and say she is in 4 pre-K this year, she can have fun, we won't worry about moving her, and that's that, I think I will chill out more.
Of course, I don't think it has any bearing on her long term success. I think the other issue is my DD4 make no effort to push herself at all. She knows things and does things that take no effot whatsoever. If something gives her pause, she walks away. At times I do encourage her to return to something because she should know what it is like to work to learn something.
She is also extremely silly and it is hard for her to ever NOT be silly. She clowns about 95% of the time if not more and I also worry about this in school and how it might affect how her learning needs are met. It is hard for others to see her gifts when she is making loud silly noises and using funky voices and making jokes all the time.
