My Hope for Eva...

Eva's first month of Montessori school flew by so fast.  She didn't have a single potty accident and has yet to need a nap; going from the 2 hour a day nap to zero nap with just 1 day prep had me worried but it seems she never got the memo to be worried.

She gets to spend all day learning and interacting and then comes home in a great mood and is ready to pass out at 7pm on the dot every night.  No more fighting to go to, or get out of, bed- can I get an Amen!?  I also like the diversity of her school.  Her old daycare pretty much mimicked our neighborhood.. white as it can get.  Now she has Asian, Indian, African and Latino friends in her classroom.  Can I get another Amen!?

I haven't notice too much of a change in her personality, i.e. she's still sassy, but I've noticed her concentration levels have gone through the roof.  She has rediscovered old toys that she had stopped using (or never used in the first place) and she can play and entertain herself for hours while Jason & I cook, clean, work out etc.  Okay... so we don't actually work out for hours, but you get the picture.  She used to need us interacting with her every minute of every day and now she'll go off in a totally other room and be content just playing by herself.  She also insists on doing things for herself, such as opening doors, getting in and our of her car seat, dressing herself and the like.  My baby needs to stop growing up!

My biggest hope for Eva in Montessori is that she learns to be kind. I've always been so concerned with intelligence, the measurable and quantifiable kind, that it almost makes me sad.  There are many words people would use to describe me... most that I'm proud of... but I doubt kind is one of them.

I don't want the same for Eva, I want her to be kind and creative and compassionate and out-going and smart and confident and kind and kind and kind.  The most amazingly kind and wonderful person I know is the product of a Montessori education. If Montessori means even a 1% chance that Eva could end up like my friend Katie, who never ceases to amaze me with the size of her heart (while still being brilliant), then it'll all have been worth it. 

"It's so easy to laugh. It's so easy to hate. It takes strength to be gentle and kind." ~Stephen Morrissey