Over Thinking is My Asset

Long time readers will remember all my stories about how my five year old Lily has been obsessed with various things over the years. Starting with blocks, puzzles, letters, time, streets, running, dancing, etc. Recently she was loving reading. When she would barely read at all we would spend hours reading together. I would read to her or she would read to me. Her reading to me involved asking me various words and going over the story until she had the book memorized word for word. I don't know about you but sitting with her and reading a children's book for two hours is not really my idea of a good time. Maybe the first dozen or so times is fun and a bonding experience but after awhile my brain starts to ooze out my ear.

School has taught Lily phonics and now she sounds out words. She comes home with books to read for school and she has no interest in reading those books. She actually has no interest in reading her Junie B books anymore either. We used to spend hours reading and now she would rather do almost anything else, I have to force her to do her homework. The funny thing is that she read well now, we could sit down and read a book in maybe five minutes. The same is true for all the other obsessions Lily has had over the years, we used to spend all day doing puzzles and now she almost never wants to take the time to sort the pieces and find the edges etc. Her current obsession is telling me stories and planning parties for her babies. She also wants to know everything there is to know about outer space and how she can get a rocket ship, a space suit and go there. She also needs to know the exact age and year she will be old enough to venture into space, you have to plan ahead you know.

I was pointing out to Jeff the other day how fickle our Lily's passions seem to be. I told him my theory of why this is true. Based on my experience of taking a few child development classes, reading a few child development books, and being a day care provider and a mother I have drawn the following conclusion. I believe that whatever developmental stage Lily is going through determines her passions. For instance: if she is going through a cognitive developmental stage she is hungry for knowledge and wants to figure out how things works. If she is going through a gross motor developmental stage she is obsessed with running, jumping, climbing, kicking, being the fastest etc. I feel that her obsessions are just a result of her developmental process and not a reflection of her personality or the things that will be her true interests and passions when she is done cooking, fully developed, or grown.

Jeff thinks that everyone goes through stages. We like something for awhile and then move on to something else. He often tells me I over think things. Ya think?

Tonight Lily has her kindergarten play, we are so excited.