My boy can run! What can your kid do?

[Magpie]

My boy is 12, and I thought he'd never learn to run normally. When he was little he'd fall on his face every time he tried, and for whatever reason, he lacked the instinct to catch himself on his hands. So when I say he "fell on his face", I mean that literally.

Later he developed this sort of one legged gallumphing type of gait. Not pretty!

But yesterday I got an opportunity to see him run, and he's improved SO much. Yeah, he's not fast. He's not graceful, either. And he can't keep it up for long. But despite all that he almost looks like he's really running - one foot, then the next, knees bent -

I know it's a silly little thing, but I'm proud of him.

Has your kid accomplished something lately that makes you very proud, even if it's no big deal to the rest of the world? I'd love to hear about it!

 

[SunnyT]

Oh my goodness, you made me smile. My son can't run well either. He got too tall too fast and is not graceful at all. But....

He is the first child in his grade (K) at school to advance to the higher reading level. After this level, he advances to 1st grade level!

 

[Eeyore5]

That's great. Kids need there parents to be proud of them. Even if it's a "little thing." As a klutz person, it wouldn't be a silly little thing if I could run well - I can't and probably never will.

 

[CathrynRose]

My kid can run, too.

His senior year in High School, he broke the Hurdles record that had been in place since 1976!

I don't know where he got it from - neither his father nor myself run, ever - at all.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Oh good for your son I do know that feeling. It is so wonderful when you have stressed and worried about it (probably more than HE did) and now you see that he is going to have that skill and be okay.

My son struggles with some muscle (gross and fine) and balance issues. It is very odd because he is a dancer and generally does really well at the gross motor skills there but has some things that just don't click.

A huge milestone was when he FINALLY "got" skipping. He had had several dance teachers (as well as myself and his big sister) try and try and try to teach him to skip and it just never clicked. One day he came home from PT and he HAD it. Like your son's running it took a bit to get really smooth and fluid but it was so good to see him get that.

He also could not ride a bike until he was 10. It was another thing we tried and tried to work on. One week he just went out and decided he was going to figure it out and now he is a great rider and takes his bike everywhere

 

[tiggger1]

my son will be 4 in jan he has tight calf muscles and heel cords so running was almost impossible at the time! After being in PT for almost 2 years and just started to run! He isn't fast either but its something!!! The other thing that he finally can do is climb stairs properly!!! before he would use his arms to pull him up the stairs because he didnt have that movement in his legs..

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds7's second grade teacher asked me if my ds told me how great he is doing so far this year, both academically (not a surprise) and with behavior (surprise). This time last year, I was getting a call from his teacher about once a week. He's finally maturing! BTW, he was timed as the fastest boy in first grade last year (maybe I should put him on the treadmill to get rid of his excess energy).

 

[shortbun]

Mine can finally write, I mean in complete and correct sentences. I was beginning to wonder, lol! He's a great student but his writing style was well...styleless. Now he's becoming funny, intelligent and knows where to put his punctuation.

Fun to read about everyone else's children having success.

 

[MosMom]

My daughter learned to play the Haunted Mansion organ music on her keyboard. Atta girl! Make Mama proud!

 

[mtemm]

that's great!

my DS6 has FINALLY figured out how to swing by pumping his legs, not being pushed by me. It all seemed to click last week for the first time. I had really begun to wonder if it ever would. he is so stinking proud of himself, as am I!

 

[KerriSue]

Mine can actually make the bus in the morning!! Its the small things

 

[minniebeth]

Since soccer seemed to be the thing to do at the time when my DS was 4, we started him in a little clinic. He stood on the sidelines watching all the kids run by. Ok, we thought he needed a little more time. K, 1st and half of 2nd grade, my DS would finally "play" by literally just standing on the field. Run! We would tell him. My DH would affectionately privately call him our "little cone" (But he was our little cone ) Finally, he told us he didn't like to run and that was the end of soccer.

Fast forward 7 years later, he tells us going into his Freshman year of HS, he wants to run cross country... We were like, huh? Now in his sophomore year in HS, he is running a 6 minute mile and in addition to cross country and track, he runs 1/2 marathons.

 

[minniebeth]

Fun to read about everyone else's children having success.

I totally agree!

 

[HonnyDipp]

My DD15 is an amazing sketch artist. I post alot of her work on Twitter & Facebook. She draws from memory and she has a ton of stetch books the she has already gone through. I honestly don't know where she gets it from, I can't draw a straight line. But its amazing to watch her create, I know she's my kid, but she really has a gift for this, I'm told all the time that she would be an amazing cartoonist!

 

[jeepgirl30]

My DD can finally read! I mean out loud and fluently. She has been in all the special programs and has really struggled. She hated to read, especially out loud. The other night she asked if she could read to me and i was floored. She read several pages straight through without any hestitation or error. I mean a real book too not one of her little brother's learn to read books.

 

[mrsv98]

Oh good for your son I do know that feeling. It is so wonderful when you have stressed and worried about it (probably more than HE did) and now you see that he is going to have that skill and be okay.

My son struggles with some muscle (gross and fine) and balance issues. It is very odd because he is a dancer and generally does really well at the gross motor skills there but has some things that just don't click.

A huge milestone was when he FINALLY "got" skipping. He had had several dance teachers (as well as myself and his big sister) try and try and try to teach him to skip and it just never clicked. One day he came home from PT and he HAD it. Like your son's running it took a bit to get really smooth and fluid but it was so good to see him get that.

He also could not ride a bike until he was 10. It was another thing we tried and tried to work on. One week he just went out and decided he was going to figure it out and now he is a great rider and takes his bike everywhere

Yes! This summer, DD seemed to blossom physically and went from being afraid to really swim or ride her bike to diving in the deep end and riding everywhere on her bike! It is amazing to see when stuff just "clicks"!

I love to read about kids overcoming struggles...makes me feel like this

 

[MoniqueU]

I have 3 kids all very special.

My oldest son has profound hearing loss. 50 percent. He gets grades good enough to play on the football team where some weeks he lights up the field. He scored an 1820 on the Sat's which considering he hasn't heard most of what has been taught is great to me. He is also quite a gentlman. I have vision problems and sometimes walk like I am drunk because I am not sure of my footing. He is the first one thete to protect and guide me. I am very blessed.

My oldest daughter is 13. She plays water polo which for those that don't know is a heck of alot rougher then it looks. Sje started when she was 11 in a 14 and unders league with girls that outweighed her by probably 75 lbs. She wasn't real good when she started but she was plucky and determined like she is in every area of her life. She stuck with it and is now a great player. She scored 6 goals in one of the games last weekend and holds her own over these really large girls. She joined swim to get even faster for polo as well. She also gets great grades. She will come home and tell me she isn't sure she can do a subject then puts her mind to it and gets an A.

My younget daughter is just adorable. Things don't come as naturally to her as they do her sister but I see her working and working on her homework constantly. She gets the same awards her sister gets but even more importantly she makes the extreme effort to get them. I am prouder of someone that has to work harder to accomplish something then someone where it all comes easy.

 

[Robinrs]

I think all children (people) have one amazing gift and it's wonderful if a parent uplifts it and encourages it.

My son is a singer. I mean a SINGER. He has always been in chorus but now it takes it very seriously. He's VERY shy, I mean SHY, so singing gives him a voice.

He's been through a lot in his life, but his voice reflects none of it. He makes me cry.

 

[Erin1700]

My DS3 just wrote his name clearly for the first time today!

My DD9 took 17 seconds off of her 200 freestyle at her swim meet last weekend!

 

[ckmommy]

I love this thread--so many parents these day just go on and on on how their child does this or that so great. I have 5 kids and they are all wonderfully average!!! When they do excel at something, I tell them how proud of them I am, but would never brag all over--say Facebook-- about how they outdid everyone around them.
Things that have made me proud this week:
DD12-striped her bed ( I washed the sheets) and remade it with out my help
DS10- was not upset when I told him that I was not buying Moon Sand for an upcoming project in his class
DS7-made it to the toilet before he threw up
DS7-made it to 1st base in his baseball game
DS6-I have decided that he is going to be an actor--he struggles with reading, so his spelling list for the week surprised me--one of the words was THROUGH--there were several more like that. He cannot read the word, but will look at the paper and have the spelling of words memorized within 3 mins.

I love my average kiddos!!