Degrees Of Separation

Some children will struggle with the first days of kindergarten, and for others it will be a breeze, says Dr Elizabeth Reed - and the same could be said for parents.

"Few parents reach late January without some anxiety over how their children will settle in to the year ahead. And never more so than when their child is starting kindergarten and has had little time away from their parents.

"Children pass this milestone in myriad ways. Some can't wait to race off and finger-paint or climb on the monkey bars. The more social among them will delight in seeing new faces and having different people to share their chatter with. But for others there will be reluctance and tears and an unwillingness to let go of their parent's hand. ..."

Protective Program

The Adopt-a-Cop program is bringing local police officers and school children together for education and community building, with positive results, writes Amanda Sanderson.

"Queensland schools are ever evolving: in recent years there's been the implementation of NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy ad Numeracy) testing, the national-curriculum deliberations, the proposal to move Year 7 to high school (with a pilot program commencing this year) and plans to make the Prep year compulsory.

"So it's quite remarkable - and testament to its success and long-term relevance - that the Queensland Police Service's Adopt-a-Cop schools program still maintains such a strong community presence more than 25 years after its launch. ..."

Foundation Recipe

Handing on some family wisdom to her granddaughter gives Mary Pearl a new lease on life.

"My granddaughter Rachel and I have a history of cooking ‘googie' eggs. When she was four, she would stand on a chair to reach the kitchen bench, crack the eggs and stir the mixture in the frypan with a wooden spoon. Now that she's seven, Rachel reaches the bench on her own, and we have graduated to more sophisticated dishes like sponge cake and pumpkin soup.

"The recipes are my mum's; I sat at her kitchen table and took notes. Now I'm passing decades' worth of accumulated culinary wisdom on to Rachel..."

The Write Time

After some initial anxiety, Donna Webeck draws the line at forcing her son to write before he is ready.

"The meeting of milestones by our children is something many parents agonise over.

"At the start it seems harmless - the first smile, giggle, solid food. Then the big guns come out - crawling, walking, talking. How many teeth do they have? Are they sleeping through the night? Eventually it morphs into more tedious territory: is my child on a par with others their age? Are they falling behind? Will they be frustrated if they're ahead but being held back?

"I coasted along this comparison-strewn highway relatively carefree until I read a third-birthday card my son received. In it, one of his friends had scrawled his own name - and he wasn't even three. ..."

Journey Into The Unknown

Rosalyn Sandwell wishes she knew what she was in for when she had children - or does she?

"My biological clock was once so loud I half expected a cuckoo to stick its head out every hour and say ‘Baby time!' Then the day I found out I was pregnant I couldn't stop crying: tears of joy and excitement, and tears of regret for all the things I didn't do because I was too busy wanting a hubby and a baby. What a basket-case!

"After nine months of excitement and preparation, out she came. Tears again, because it really was the most magical experience of my life. I had adored her in utero, and now that Ruby was in my arms, I knew I would do anything for her.

"Three weeks later we were doing the colic/silent-reflux dance, and I believed I would never stop crying, nor sleep again. I knew she was in pain and I could do nothing. ..."

Happy To Help

Volunteering mum Suzy Mills is delighted to find she's cool at school.

"I'm not sure who enjoys my weekly canteen duty more - my boys, or me. I get such a thrill when I see the grins on their faces as they rush to be first in line. Of course, they're happy to see me in the middle of their school day, but I suspect their enthusiasm may also have something to do with the ‘free' stuff they get (which they pay for with a kiss over the counter). ..."

NEW: Special Series - Country Views

For most of us, getting our kids to school entails a short drive, walk or bus trip. But for families in rural and remote communities, it can be a very different story, reports Genevieve Barlow.

"The first night Lexie Brownhall stayed at the hostel where she would board so she could attend high school, her parents Kylie and Brett were anxious. The graziers from Jandowae, three-and-a-half hours west of Brisbane, wanted to give their 12-year-old daughter the best education they could. Dalby High School was too far at an hour's bus ride away, and the local Prep-10 government school had just 13 students in Years 8 to 10. It wasn't enough for Lexie.

"They chose instead to send their bright daughter to a hostel where she could board during the week while attending Chinchilla State High School, also an hour away. At least she could come home on the weekends - boarding school was another option, but would have meant fewer visits home. The Brownhalls weren't ready for that. "I was anxious and had so many mixed emotions," says Kylie of her daughter's leaving. "I sobbed. I thought, ‘I can't believe we are doing this', but we didn't let her know how we were feeling, because we didn't want her to know we were sad."

"Many parents in rural Australia face this scenario each year after making sometimes painful decisions about education. ..."

Special Series - D3: Diversity, Difference & Diagnosis

Senses And Sensitivities

Monica Wright struggled to find a diagnosis for her daughter's unusual behaviours, but persistence paid off.

"I have a four-year-old daughter. When people first meet her, they usually describe her as lively, clever, outgoing, friendly, affectionate and talkative. As they get to know her better they'd probably like to add descriptors such as difficult, stubborn, irritable, impatient and volatile. Most people would put these traits down to a mix of personality and behaviour, but there's another reason, known only to those close to her.

"My daughter has a neurological condition called sensory processing disorder (SPD). SPD affects the way she receives and interprets sights, sounds, touch, tastes, smells and movement. People with SPD may feel overwhelmed by sensory information, or, conversely, seek out sensory experiences. ..."

Book Reviews

This month, David Witt reviews:

The Little Refugee written by Anh Do and Suzanne Do and illustrated by Bruce Whatley.

Bureau Of Mysteries written by H.J. Harper and illustrated by Nahum Ziersch.

Diary Of A Soccer Start written by Shamini Flint and illustrated by Sally Heinrich.

The Tunnels Of Tarcoola written by Jennifer Walsh.

And Veronicah Larkin reviews:

Edge Of The World written by Ian Trevaskis and illustrated by Wayne Harris.

Bush Bash! written by Sally Morgan and illustrated by Ambelin Kwaymullina.

Demolition written by Sally Sutton and illustrated by Brian Lovelock.

King Jack and the Dragon written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

Grand Times - Drawing Out Meaning

Grandmother Rose O'Reilly writes:

"My godson Toby likes to draw. Now six years old, he specialises in army tanks and guns, but he also likes to draw stars, monsters and jet planes and to tell everyone about them. He would much rather draw and talk than write. The only way I can get him to write is to ask him to compose a list of what he would like for his birthday: "1.  A woopee coochin. 2. A elicshronic litsaber."

"I love to read beginners' writing. In my experience as an early-childhood teacher, once children are brave enough to spell phonetically they can write and write. They taste the pleasure of expressing themselves this way, of telling their stories with words as well as pictures, and then they become ready to learn standard spelling and punctuation. The first step, though, is for them to have the confidence to write. ..."

Your Views

This month's letters to the editor relate to bullying, the need for empathy when coming across children who may have behavioural difficulties and families sponsoring children in underprivileged countries.

You can access our online calendar, which is full of wonderful activities and events for families occurring in Brisbane this month, at www.webchild.com.au, clicking on Calendar.