Maintenance Day 243: Reassurance

This morning, our girls had their kindergarten screening. It is an assessment of 3-5 year olds and whether they are ready for preschool or kindergarten. Brock and I go into it with the mindset of it being an idea of where they stand. Simply that.

The process today was a reminder of just how different our daughters are. When the screeners came in to get them, Evangeline stood up, did a fancy turn and “tada’d”. Scarlett just quietly stood and followed them. Evie told a long winded story as she led all of us down the hall.

Brock monitored Evangeline’s evaluation while I took Scarlett. Scarlett was very serious and answered all questions with a matter of fact, straight answer. Her drawings were near perfect and she followed directions to a T. “Right here?” she would ask as she put her pencil exactly where the screener had pointed. The woman was greatly impressed when Scarlett described a block as “a green cube that you build with”. Scarlett scored at the top of the range which places her at a 4 1/2 year old level at the age of 3 and five months.

Evie, on the other hand, was all about silly. She followed directions very well but got distracted by her sister. Brock said that she spoke in baby talk, mispronouncing sounds and speaking in a high pitched voice. She managed to convey her intelligence because she score at almost a four year old level. We are very proud of our girls!

After the screening we went home. Evie pulled out a puzzles and began to work on it. “Mama, look I did it!” she said. I kindly told her that she had a few pieces in the wrong spot so she took it apart and tried again. I said “Evie, I’m so proud of you because you didn’t give up and you tried again”. She replies “mama, I’m so proud of you because you saw I did it wrong and told me to try again”. Wise words and much needed encouragement from my three year old!

Things like this are a reassurance to us, not just to let us know that maybe we are doing something right, but to reassure us that, so far, we did make the right choice when it came to radiation. Had Scarlett undergone that treatment, she likely would not have scored so high. Her evaluation may have taken longer, she may have been less confident. It is a decision that we are still thinking about, stressing about, and living with. But moments like this remind us that Scarlett is who she is regardless of her cancer. And Brock and I are a little more confident that we made the right decision.