Kayla 12 years 11 months

Kayla has definitely hit the t’ween years. She like to listen to music, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, she had a sleep over and the girls went toilet papering, and she has started showing an increased interest in boys, particularly various "hottie" rock stars or actors. It was interesting, the other day Kayla announced, "I'm too fat!" She has had a growth spurt, and was taller and leaner for a while at ages 10-11, but now her body has started changing and she is gaining weight in the hips, etc. She has taken to staring at herself in the mirror, and refusing to wear certain clothes that she thinks accentuate her "weight problem". I just listen sympathetically, and explain that girls sometimes gain a little weight during puberty, but that she should not worry about it and reminder her she really is such a beautiful girl.


Kayla seems to fall under the resilient category because according to the book a well adjusted child has an easy temperament, good parental relationship, good outside support system, and good community resources (school, extra activities) and Kayla applies to all of these. This is how Kayla has been over the most part of her life, with just a minor change for the better in consistently contributing to cooperative group activities and respecting the rights and possessions of others, and showing age-appropriate social interaction with peers.


Kayla is intrinsically motivated to do well in school which is helpful as a parent. Her oral reading, decoding, reading comprehension, spelling and writing skills are above grade level, and she is busy writing stories and experiences down into her journal. I still encourage any reading interests and provide praise and helpful feedback for Kayla's writing efforts. She is in the high achievers program at school and she got really good grades on her report card and is even going to be placed in an 8th grade level math for 7th grade. She also got a note of appreciation for her efforts from both the chorus teacher and the band director. She is doing so well in these areas and we just love to hear her play and sing. She is quite effective at time management, and highly consistent in working independently in the classroom and on homework. She has almost no problems completing assignments and turning them in on time and I think this has a lot to do with why she is so successful in school and life overall.