Three things

1. My daughter came out of her ballet class with tears in her eyes tonight because she "got a bit worried" when her teacher told the class she believed they would all be ready to move up from Grade 2 to Grade 3 next year.
   
   I pointed out that this was a good thing but Caitlin was not convinced. She's been doing ballet for 5 years now but doesn't believe she's any good at it. This is the third year in a row that I've had this conversation. After much persuasion we've agreed to trust the teacher's judgement, after all she's been right about Caitlin being ready to go up a grade the last two years!
   
   Caitlin rarely tells me much about what goes on inside her head so when this kind of thing happens I realise that there are probably a whole lot of things she worries about that I never find out about. I'm not good at making time for one-on-one talks and I really should do so.



2. We had dinner at my mum's place tonight and when we'd finished the meal David read to us. Getting David to read aloud used to be like getting blood out of a stone so it was a very great pleasure indeed to hear his rendition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
   
   Reading aloud to the family is the first step in a series of activities which are designed to help Dave confront one of his greatest fears. Anything that hints of performing for other people is anathema for David and to stand up and read or perform in front of the school assembly comes under the heading of worst nightmare. Given that each class runs 2 assemblies a year involving performances by the whole class this is something that he does have to do on occasion. David decided that reading to the family, although not completely stress free, was a manageable first step and I am really proud of him for being willing to tackle this and also for his lovely expressive reading.



3. Tom gives the best hugs ever!
   

I love my children more than words can tell. They are precious and wonderful. They drive me to distraction and they fill my heart with joy. Yeah, I think I'll keep 'em.