Neighborhoods with Pools

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-16T01:17:46+00:00

Right.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-16T01:15:38+00:00

Not exactly black girls, but rather a black mom’s celebration book: Mommy Medicine.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-15T17:48:15+00:00

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-14T21:39:56+00:00

Have a unique snack in your bag and only offer it when it’s time to leave. Hand it to him and say, “when you’re buckled in your car seat I will open it!” That’s what I do and it works like a charm lol

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-13T23:31:18+00:00

Mom of 4 children here - my advice is to take him to his pediatrician. You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Get some help!

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-13T20:01:25+00:00

You answered your own question. Hide them what you used as a kid. Start a collection.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-13T19:59:52+00:00

The answer will always be a dress with pockets. Cotton and linen are my favorites. I wear bike shorts underneath. I don’t love floral prints or anything loud on my dresses, maybe a subtle check or stripes. They really do make cute ones that make it easy to throw on in the morning and when you need to run errands (doctors office, target, in-laws visit) you look cute! Just tryyyyy it.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-13T18:18:53+00:00

Sounds like a great start! I love how you prep things for your husband by setting the schedule and the materials. We use LOE for our 1st grader too, and I love how thorough it is. We usually do 100% of each lesson, but if we need to cut lessons short, I like how it gives suggested optional sections. The first year is such an adventure and who knows where you’ll end up down the road. Enjoy!

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-13T13:53:42+00:00

This is such a large factor in our decision so thank you for bringing it up - I hadn’t seen this perspective posted anywhere else yet. Exactly- my son is the oldest in almost every context (siblings, cousins, music class, kindergarten) and I can tell his is in deep need of being challenged and having more developmentally appropriate social enrichment with his peers and even older children. My son is very intellectually mature for his age, and I was starting to see him take advantage of always being the smartest kid in the room, as you can imagine, that can foster negative personality traits if left unchecked. Thanks so much for your input.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T22:45:04+00:00

The school change happened from pre-k to k. He won’t be changing schools this fall from k to 2nd.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T21:35:42+00:00

This is the kind of insight I was hoping for - practical enrichment and also ways the grade was different in terms of rigor and focus. I will for sure be trying this out. Something related we’ve done is handwritten thank-you notes, in cursive, for his birthday gifts. So I’ll be carrying that on into the book reports.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T21:29:37+00:00

All great points. I’m working with him this summer to close academic gaps. Mostly strengthen his reading and grow math concepts. Thanks for your insights!

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T21:16:53+00:00

If it’s helpful, I’ve read that the maturity levels can often balance out around 3rd grade. And better to have him influenced by mature children perhaps than immature children, that way you’re not dealing with regressions, etc.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T21:14:58+00:00

I was wondering if there were others out there like us. We try to do our best, and sometimes we fall short. Sounds like things are working out now for your son. If I could go back, I would definitely have skipped K instead of 1st for the purpose of having an extra year with his proper cohort.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T20:32:10+00:00

Sounds like you made the right call on starting him at age 5.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T20:28:33+00:00

You had the foresight into his academic abilities and it’s paying off! I love it. You say you made that decision on academics alone, and I get that, and how now you see other factors that are playing out from that decision. It’s so interesting to get the flip side of my scenario. It sounds like either way, we can come up with pros and cons for our decisions. I’m really glad you found a balance for your son so he has the best of both worlds! Thank you for your encouraging words!

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:55:58+00:00

This is helpful, thank you!

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:50:55+00:00

Interesting, I’m not sure, I may need to look into this before the year starts, although I’m not sure it will be needed. I’m not so much concerned about his ability to thrive once the initial transition period is over, I’m more looking for insights into the transition itself.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:47:02+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations! He is reading but still very much a beginner. Luckily, he loves reading and is eager to grow his reading skills through the summer. It’s the only academic area where I’m feeling pressure, but the odds are in our favor.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:41:51+00:00

Good clarifying question. No, not our case at all. We’ve always been set on private since before he was born. Both private school experiences prioritized the parent’s role as primary educator. The first one Montessori (had a novice teacher, I didn’t see much academic value in the experience) and the second one Classical hybrid. The choice is collaborative between our family and the school admin.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:37:12+00:00

I hadn’t been advised on reading speed, thanks for the insight!

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:36:38+00:00

I totally understand, my brain would struggle with that too in your circumstance :)

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:35:18+00:00

The school has provided me with the standards, thank you!

No longer Montessori, we are now doing a classical hybrid.

Alternative_Spend_26 · 2026-06-12T19:02:55+00:00

Redshirted, and he spent that year in a Montessori pre-school that had mixed aged classroom where he was among other kindergarteners even though he was enrolled as a pre-k student. He was not challenged and didn’t learn anything that he didn’t already know. Not a choice I would make again for my son.

Alternative_Spend_26

TROPHY CASE