Why Alex is so cool

It's hard to be the oldest kid in a big family.  There's not as much attention for you, and there are always a bunch of little kids bugging you, taking your stuff, and invading your privacy. 

Alex has to put up with all of that, and he gets annoyed just like any 8 year old boy would.  However, he is also just about the sweetest big brother a kid could hope for.  This is him, showing his little brothers the moon on a program called Celestia, that lets you zoom in and out all over the solar system.  Both of the little boys get excited about the moon and stars, but Sammy especially loves the moon.  Alex knows this, so he pulled up a shot of the moon just for him and zoomed all around it, moving closer in and pulling back, while helping Sam learn how to pronounce it properly. 

Then he spent about 20 minutes showing the boys all over the solar system, pronouncing each planet and moon slowly and repeating the names so the boys could practice saying them.  Both of the boys are in speech therapy and Alex knows they need lots of practice with new words. 

Earlier today, he gave his sister Katie a lesson on the planets as well.  She stayed home sick from school, and she tried to paint the planets just like she'd seen him do yesterday, but she didn't quite understand what to do.  He sat with her for a long time, telling her all about space and the solar system, and facts about all the planets.  He answered all of her questions patiently, even when she asked them again and again.   (My favorite question... "What's a Naked Eye?", followed by a sigh and an explanation by Alex.)

He is such a thoughtful and loving guy, and no mom could be prouder.

Comments

[Terri Paulson-Sasaki]

He sounds like a very sweet child. He must be very good at it, since he can keep 2 little ones engaged for 20 minutes. Is it a program or a website? Good job Alex, want to come and teach my first grade?