Poor Maddy

Awhile ago I got a letter from Maddy's school asking if I wanted to have her tested for the Accelerated Learning Program. I said yes. I honestly didn't think she was going to get in but might as well have her tested, right? Well we got the results of the test last night. She didn't get in. No surprises there, but we also got her scores. She was in the 81st percentile for nonverbal communication which is awesome, but only the 27th percentile for verbal communication. That kinda worries me, especially considering how much that girl talks. Larry pointed out that while she talks a lot she doesn't ever really listen. Which is a big part of communication, the listening part. She does do a very poor job of telling stories or describing something. I pretty much never know what she is talking about. She will tell me things that happened at school and I'm totally lost. I just figured it was cause she is 6. I don't know how well 6 year olds are supposed to communicate. But I guess 73% of them communicate better than she does. I don't know how to improve this skill.

The paper said not to worry as long as their grades are ok then they are doing fine. It tried to reassure people like me that these scores are not a big deal. And I don't doubt that. I know she is doing fine, but still...

Oh and then just to top off my failures as a mother Maddy brought me a cryptic note she had written that said "You spend time with Connor and Larry but you don't spend time with me." UG! Which isn't entirely untrue. There are only so many hours in a day. She gets home at 3:30, we go over her school work together. I start cooking dinner at 4ish and when dinner is over and cleaned up it's time for baths and then it's pretty much bed time. Then every other weekend she goes to her Dad's house. So it's hard, everyone is busy! But I asked her to think of some things we can do together. I will try to think of some things too. I also taped the note up in the back of my closet so I will see it at least twice a day. Hopefully that will keep her feelings in the front of my mind.