{"id":5183,"date":"2014-07-03T08:34:36","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T12:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/?p=5183"},"modified":"2020-09-03T14:43:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T18:43:20","slug":"shes-a-two-hander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/03\/shes-a-two-hander\/","title":{"rendered":"She’s a Two-hander!"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is something about your child turning 5.\u00a0 Something that instills fear and a feeling of \u201chow the hell did this happen?!?!\u201d\u00a0 I see it often from friends on Facebook, people panicking about their little baby turning 5 (and I too panicked when Honeybun hit “The Big five!”<\/a>).\u00a0 I don\u2019t know exactly what it is about the age of 5 whether it\u2019s impending kindergarten, being half a decade old or who knows what.<\/p>\n

But here I sit, staring 6 in the face and wonder why we aren\u2019t more scared of 6!\u00a0 So much happens at the age of 6 as far as growth and development, why do we focus on 5?<\/p>\n

Today Honeybun becomes a two-hander meaning she now has to use two hands to show her age.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen a child show their age using two hands which mean something magical happens by the age of 6 where a child goes from showing their age with their fingers to having the confidence to tell their age out loud.\u00a0 (Obviously many 5 and even 4 year olds do this as well, but I would guess that all typical children are doing this by age 6!)<\/p>\n

Six is the start of what is considered \u201cmiddle childhood\u201d which covers ages 6 to 8.\u00a0 This is a time of great development as children become more self-sufficient and start developing their own personality, preferences and independence.<\/p>\n

Many six year olds are also growing and changing often having a large growth spurt causing them to\u00a0 go through a clumsy phase as they begin the journey from a \u201cchild\u201d body into a pre-teen and eventually adult body.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the teeth.\u00a0 Not only do we all have a set of \u201csix-year old molars\u201d but most children also lose their first tooth sometime between 6 and 7 years old.<\/p>\n

Six also marks the age when \u201cformal\u201d schooling often begins. \u00a0While kindergarten was once optional, it is now considered crucially important for long-term school success and most children have undertaken some form of full-time schooling by 6 (whether it\u2019s public school, private school or homeschooling).\u00a0 And though many children these days have been in school for many years before they turn 6, all children seem to be in a program by 6.<\/p>\n

All these upcoming changes and being on the brink of “middle childhood” certainly is daunting but, HERE WE GO!<\/p>\n