Peer Pressure, Already???

Katie told me when I picked her up yesterday that she got in trouble at school and had to sit out during playtime.  I asked her what she did and she said she was talking during book time, like Emma.  Then she told me that her feet hurt (I told her not to wear the too small shoes but she insisted), and that she wanted to wear "ballelet" shoes, like Emma.  Then she told me that she wanted to go back to dance class, like Emma and Alice.  This morning she told me she still wanted to wear her gold sparkly shoes, just with socks so they wouldn't hurt and when I told her that would look silly she said, "nuh uh, other girls in Pre-K do it."  You see the pattern here, and the real key is the statement about Pre-K.

Their preschool class started their curriculum at the beginning of the month and it became apparent pretty quick that K & T were pretty far ahead of their classmates during the learning portion of the day, and really not learning much or enjoying the review time.  I don't know that it is isolated to just the school stuff since there are also kids in their class (early end of 3 years old) who are still working on potty training (although Katie and Tyler still aren't night trained - ugh), but for the most part I think they are doing fine socially in their class - they just get bored academically.  So, the teachers recognized this and have started sending the kids to the Pre-K class when they are working on lessons or reading books, which means they are in that class every afternoon.  It is funny that their preschool teacher said she knows that it is better for them, but that she misses them in her class because they are the only ones who would answer!  It has been really good for both of them, I think.  They are singing new phonics songs and seem to be re-energized about learning letters and numbers and letter sounds.  The problem is that Katie also seems to be picking up mannerisms from the "older" girls and is talking back more, and wanting to do, say and wear the same things.  I had no idea that peer pressure and cliques started this early!

I do like that some of Katie's confidence and sass is coming back, but it is certainly frustrating when most of the acting out is directed toward me.  Tyler seems very content and I think it is really good for him to be with the Pre-K class so he doesn't feel so "different."  Now he is not the only one in class who knows the answers, and he has friends who "get" when he is trying to be funny or when he is playing a pretend game and he seems much happier and much more social.  I am glad, too, that the school is being flexible and working to make it a great experience for both of them.  Like I said in an earlier post, they love their teacher so I am glad they are getting to spend some time with her in the preschool class (especially since they have another year of Pre-K after this), and they have some friends in their class that they really like, but I am happy too that they aren't at a standstill learning wise waiting for the other kids to catch up (the other kids aren't behind they are just younger and just now being exposed to some of the things that the kids already learned because of the way their old school did things).  I do realize, too, that stages and phases come and go and I could be lamenting how ornery Tyler is being next week, but for now I am going to try to subtly convince Katie that she can be the one that everyone is trying to copy!