It Clicks

Grace has taken Preschool 3 swim class so many times I've lost count (I reckon about four).  She is great at all of the skills except for one.  She doesn't want to put her face under the water.  This means she also doesn't want to jump in.  We've tried tackling this with her wearing goggles.  And our trip to Hawaii really helped with some one on one time with Nate.  But, last Spring I was talking with her swim teacher about the "issue" and she told me something that is just so true - "when she is ready, it will click".  It isn't something that can be taught, or pushed.  She has to be ready.  In many areas of development, I think this is the case.

Now I fully realize that there are things we should, and can teach our kids.  But somethings, especially when it involves a developmental milestone, just have to happen on their own time.

A few weeks ago, we had our first scholastic "click".  Grace had been tracing her name on the back of her school art projects.  You could see the lines underneath where her teacher had written, and Grace had traced on top.  I picked her up from school one day, looked at her project and she had written her name!  (It is still so exciting I almost typed that in caps lock!).  Truth be told, I did take the project out of her bag, (tried not to run to her teacher) and said "Grace wrote her name!".  Grace didn't have the same great reaction about this.  Her chin dropped, her eyes welled up with tears and she said "but I don't want to grow up".  (This is something we've been facing lately).  Her "name" still hangs on our fridge.

Then yesterday, oh yesterday, her artist Mama just couldn't get enough.  The preschool class mailed their parents a Valentine's and ours arrived yesterday.  I waited for Nate to get home to open it.  Inside was a red card.  The front stamped with white hearts.  Here's the inside.

That there, is the first recognizable object she has ever drawn.  Ever!  She went through a phase in her early 4's where she would draw people, that looked more like fish.  This, first, is Nate.  Spiky hair and all (as she pointed out). 

Then last night Grace and I were having a sleepover, and before I tucked us in, I was writing in the baby's journal.  Grace asked to draw a picture.  I was expecting the drawing of Nate to be a one off, and the journal would get a page full of scribbles.  But here's what she drew.

The Artist in me, and my years of Art Therapy Education in school, are bursting with pride.  I need to capture a video of her actually drawing because the description as she draws is pretty great.  My mouth is open because I'm blowing her a kiss.  You'd think there aren't hands and feet, but there are.  She's made the ends of the arms and legs darker to show feet and hands.  She also said she made my belly bigger. Ahem.  She is paying attention to details like hair, eyes (I'm supposedly winking) and height.

It clicked. 

It is so great watching all these 'clicks' happen lately.  When I filled out her kindergarten form, and was checking off her abilities, I actually had to click off that Grace couldn't draw recognizable objects.  A few weeks shy of that form, she can.  Having a few friends with 5 year olds, I've been a bit in awe of the difference in their capabilities to those of Grace.  But what I'm seeing, is that even a 6 month age gap at 4.5, makes a very big difference in regards to their development.

Grace has three weeks left in her swimming class.  Perhaps that too will click? :)