Milestones
Aug. 16th, 2015 10:28 amTwo major developments for Filia on Friday.
1. She passed her peanut "oral challenge," which means that she is officially no longer allergic! We have suspected this for some time, but now we know for sure: she can eat peanuts without having a reaction. It's great to have this settled before school starts.
2. She rode her bike to the swimming pool on her own, went swimming, and came home on time (this last being the only part I was really worried about). We are trying to increase the distance she's able to go on her bike without adult supervision. Next: solo to the library!
In general we've been trying to increase the number of things she can do for and by herself. We're working on more responsibilities in the kitchen, for example. I feel kind of behind on this, because I'm sure that by the time I was her age I was filling, running, and emptying the dishwasher, and she is just learning to do these things. Part of the problem with kitchen tasks is that I still need to rearrange the shelves, because a lot of commonly-used items are up too high for her to get to, even with a step stool. Also, I'm a bit of a control freak about cooking. But I think she is getting more into the spirit of these things -- she spent a few days with my parents earlier in the summer, and my mom reported that she insisted on packing her duffle bag by herself when it was time to come home (and she did a good job and didn't leave anything behind).
One of my goals for this school year is for her to learn to pack her own lunch and do most of her own laundry.
1. She passed her peanut "oral challenge," which means that she is officially no longer allergic! We have suspected this for some time, but now we know for sure: she can eat peanuts without having a reaction. It's great to have this settled before school starts.
2. She rode her bike to the swimming pool on her own, went swimming, and came home on time (this last being the only part I was really worried about). We are trying to increase the distance she's able to go on her bike without adult supervision. Next: solo to the library!
In general we've been trying to increase the number of things she can do for and by herself. We're working on more responsibilities in the kitchen, for example. I feel kind of behind on this, because I'm sure that by the time I was her age I was filling, running, and emptying the dishwasher, and she is just learning to do these things. Part of the problem with kitchen tasks is that I still need to rearrange the shelves, because a lot of commonly-used items are up too high for her to get to, even with a step stool. Also, I'm a bit of a control freak about cooking. But I think she is getting more into the spirit of these things -- she spent a few days with my parents earlier in the summer, and my mom reported that she insisted on packing her duffle bag by herself when it was time to come home (and she did a good job and didn't leave anything behind).
One of my goals for this school year is for her to learn to pack her own lunch and do most of her own laundry.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-16 05:56 pm (UTC)I want to teach my daughter to ride the city buses on her own. I think she's old enough, and in a couple of years, she's probably going to be riding them to and from high school since the district is phasing out busing for the high schools (I think the district will pay for bus passes for the kids who need the city bus, but I'm not counting on it).
We also need to get her to start loading/unloading the dishwasher. The main barrier to loading has been that I'm very, very particular about what goes where and how much can actually fit.
She has been doing the laundry ever since I hurt myself in March. We're still not sure of my ability to go up and down stairs while carrying a laundry basket.
Of course, laundry and dishes are the main chores that I do. We have a cleaning lady in once a week to sweep, scrub, and vacuum. I'm not sure how I feel about no longer doing any household chores but occasional cooking.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 05:52 pm (UTC)I do wonder sometimes about how Filia will learn to do the chores that I don't do myself any more -- because we too have a cleaning woman who does the heavy work, so she only ever sees us doing dishes, general kitchen cleanup, laundry, and cleanup of occasional messes.
I'm not sure if she'll ever have much reason to ride the bus around town. We're in a very flat suburb with reasonably good bike infrastructure, and virtually all the kids (assuming they are physically able to) learn to ride a bike. As a result, she can easily get around the neighborhood, and in a couple of years she will probably be riding her bike all over town. And then if she needs to get out of the burbs, there's the commuter rail. If she went to the neighborhood school we would have her riding to and from school on her own starting this year, but she goes to a magnet school that's several miles away, and I don't think she's ready to do that solo yet.