A little obnoxious boasting....

I am going to do a little unabashedly blatant bragging on my children right now. Please click away from this page if you do not want to listen to a mother gushing about her brilliant children. I am not often given a reason to brag about my children. Therefore, I am going to grab this rare opportunity to do a little obnoxious boasting. Please note that you have been warned.

This afternoon, I took Sophie and Nicholas to their Early Childhood screening. It is a screening required for all children prior to entering kindergarten in Minneapolis Public Schools. The screening is typically done when a child is three or four years old. I think the idea is to identify any potential problems early on, so kids can get the help they need to prepare them for kindergarten. I was a bit anxious going in to the appointment. I wasn't too worried about Nicholas. He's a little sponge who soaks up everything around him. Sophie, on the other hand, had me concerned. I think she is very smart. However, I have a tendency to compare her to her brother, who is practically savant-like in the way he retains information. It's unfair to make that comparison. However, it's difficult with twins to resist the urge to constantly compare them.

Luckily, my mother agreed to go to the appointment with me. Despite the teachers' best efforts at convincing them, neither Sophie nor Nicholas would even consider going back for the assessment alone with the teacher. I ended up going back with Nicholas and my mom went with Sophie. Initially, Nicholas was nervous and hid under a table, refusing to participate. Nice. However, after a few minutes he warmed up and participated beautifully in the testing. I was amazed at the things he was able to do...the information he knew. He easily completed the testing. When he was finished, the teacher exclaimed that he had done wonderfully. She tallied his scores and gave me the verdict. For Nicholas' age, a score of 24 out of 64 was needed to pass the assessment. Nicholas scored 60 out of 64. I knew he was smart, but I was quite taken aback by how well he had done. When we reconnected with Sophie and my mom, I discovered to my complete surprise that Sophie had scored a 58 out of 64. Again, WELL over the 24 points needed to pass the assessment. She would have scored a 60 the exact same as Nicholas, except she had some trouble with hopping on one foot. That's a task I know she can do, but I suspect her dress and sandals were giving her an issue. I sat down with a nurse to discuss their results. She continuously referred to them as "very bright" and "very sharp" for their age. At least three times she told me that their assessment scores were "impressive."

So it appears that both of my twins are doing much better academically and developmentally than I ever expected...a fact that fills me with more pride and joy than I could imagine. I feel a twinge of guilt for underestimating my daughter....for comparing her to her brother. She's a brilliant little girl. They are both wonderful, smart, sweet children. I am so extraordinarily proud of them today.