Let's Catch Up
Holy Cow!!! It's been over a month since I last blogged! What's my deal? It's like I started a school year, a new baseball season, and I couldn't get my act together. Well . . . that's exactly what it is. It's been this week that I have finally felt like I am not going to drown. It's a nice feeling. It's such a good feeling, I am going to paint my finger nails and blog tonight. Yeah!
Here's a catch up:
Alexa started kindergarten. She LOVES it. She wakes up happy, and is ready to go every morning. She is so different from Andrew. She tells me EVERYTHING. Andrew . . . tells me NOTHING. I hear about Andrew's day from Alexa- because even though he's on a different hall and in a completely different grade- she knows. She always knows . . . . We really should have planned our children to be closer together. It would have been handy to have her around when he was in middle school and high school. I would have really encouraged her to share her knowledge of him. Alas, this is my one and only year of them being in the same school, so I better soak it in and learn as much as I can.
Andrew started fifth grade. Alexa handled her transition better. Oh, did he change schools? No. He apparently doesn't do change well. His school thankfully got a new principal, and he has directed the teachers to give less homework. I hear other parents talking about how great this is. They are really enjoying how much less time they have to struggle through that nightly torture. If anything homework is worse this year, for us. Since he only has 3-5 math questions a night and has to read for 20 minutes . . . I decided we will NOT help- at all. We'll check to make sure it's done, but that's pretty much it. He has got to become more autonomous. He's going to middle school next year! Every single night he's stomping down the hallway, slamming his door, and throwing something at it. He doesn't have a learning disability. He isn't fighting independence (he announced that he wanted to put his ownself to bed a few weeks ago). He wants us to do the work. He's lazy.
I do want to give all of us props, though. Props to Andrew for being so persistent for 28 days. I frankly, didn't think he had it in him. I know Alexa does (and to be honest, it is probably the quality in her, I fear most). I would expect this sort of resistance from her. Not him. Good to know he has perseverance in him. I mean- I wish it was with something useful like: yard work, or keeping that funk smell out of his room, but whatever. And props to Doug and I for not giving in. Neither of us has even freaked out on him yet. We have been ignoring nightly stomping for 20+ days. Yeah us! I didn't know we had that sort of sustainability. (I will confess that I got close tonight. I remained calm, when I told him- if pulled these shenanigans one more time- he would lose all of his technology for 1 week- to start with. I will go up from there.) He'll have one episode next week, just to see if I mean it- and then he'll simmer down . . . I hope, sort of. Again- I am impressed with his persistence.
Because Alexa now goes to the same school as Andrew, we have changed our drop off routine a bit. It used to be that Doug and I would alternate which kid we took, every day. Now both kids alternate which parent they ride with. So they ride with me on Tues & Thursdays and Doug the other days. I am beginning to realize that Andrew is not exactly a morning person. I didn't notice it last year because I am not a morning person. There is no talking when he and I would ride together in the mornings. At first I felt bad. I mean- what kind of jerk wouldn't talk to her child on the ride to school- then I realized, if Andrew wanted to talk- he would. This year I have discovered- that kid ain't no morning glory. Today I couldn't stop laughing. See Alexa is. She's like Doug in the mornings. Chipper. Happy. Smiling. Sharing.
Anyway- this morning Alexa is just chattering away. talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk I can literally feel Andrew's skin crawling. I can feel his irritation with the sound that just won't end. For the love of all that is holy in this world!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He started sighing- loud, then louder, then even more loudly. Alexa missed the cue. She kept right on going. talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk Finally- I intervened because even though I should feel sympathy for him, as I completely understand where he's coming from- it was funny. I asked her if she would mind, if I turned up the volume on this song- I really liked it. I have no idea what song it was- but I saved all of us from a catastrophic disaster of hurt feelings.
I promise I will end this enormously long blog (this is what happens when I don't blog for a month! I channel my inner Alexa). I have been hugely impressed with Andrew and how he has been with Alexa. He waits for her to get out of the car- without saying anything like, "you're taking forever!" or "Hurry up!" because she does take forever to get out of the car. He walks in with her every morning, and lets her sit with him until they go into their classrooms. He also has been aware of who she sits with at after school and says "Hi!" to her in the hallways. It may not sound like much- but it's more than I expected from him, as he tends to be a bit oblivious to her. So yeah for new school years, and let's hope more blogging, as I am being a slacker and I need to get off my duff.
Here's a catch up:
Alexa started kindergarten. She LOVES it. She wakes up happy, and is ready to go every morning. She is so different from Andrew. She tells me EVERYTHING. Andrew . . . tells me NOTHING. I hear about Andrew's day from Alexa- because even though he's on a different hall and in a completely different grade- she knows. She always knows . . . . We really should have planned our children to be closer together. It would have been handy to have her around when he was in middle school and high school. I would have really encouraged her to share her knowledge of him. Alas, this is my one and only year of them being in the same school, so I better soak it in and learn as much as I can.
Andrew started fifth grade. Alexa handled her transition better. Oh, did he change schools? No. He apparently doesn't do change well. His school thankfully got a new principal, and he has directed the teachers to give less homework. I hear other parents talking about how great this is. They are really enjoying how much less time they have to struggle through that nightly torture. If anything homework is worse this year, for us. Since he only has 3-5 math questions a night and has to read for 20 minutes . . . I decided we will NOT help- at all. We'll check to make sure it's done, but that's pretty much it. He has got to become more autonomous. He's going to middle school next year! Every single night he's stomping down the hallway, slamming his door, and throwing something at it. He doesn't have a learning disability. He isn't fighting independence (he announced that he wanted to put his ownself to bed a few weeks ago). He wants us to do the work. He's lazy.
I do want to give all of us props, though. Props to Andrew for being so persistent for 28 days. I frankly, didn't think he had it in him. I know Alexa does (and to be honest, it is probably the quality in her, I fear most). I would expect this sort of resistance from her. Not him. Good to know he has perseverance in him. I mean- I wish it was with something useful like: yard work, or keeping that funk smell out of his room, but whatever. And props to Doug and I for not giving in. Neither of us has even freaked out on him yet. We have been ignoring nightly stomping for 20+ days. Yeah us! I didn't know we had that sort of sustainability. (I will confess that I got close tonight. I remained calm, when I told him- if pulled these shenanigans one more time- he would lose all of his technology for 1 week- to start with. I will go up from there.) He'll have one episode next week, just to see if I mean it- and then he'll simmer down . . . I hope, sort of. Again- I am impressed with his persistence.
Because Alexa now goes to the same school as Andrew, we have changed our drop off routine a bit. It used to be that Doug and I would alternate which kid we took, every day. Now both kids alternate which parent they ride with. So they ride with me on Tues & Thursdays and Doug the other days. I am beginning to realize that Andrew is not exactly a morning person. I didn't notice it last year because I am not a morning person. There is no talking when he and I would ride together in the mornings. At first I felt bad. I mean- what kind of jerk wouldn't talk to her child on the ride to school- then I realized, if Andrew wanted to talk- he would. This year I have discovered- that kid ain't no morning glory. Today I couldn't stop laughing. See Alexa is. She's like Doug in the mornings. Chipper. Happy. Smiling. Sharing.
Anyway- this morning Alexa is just chattering away. talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk I can literally feel Andrew's skin crawling. I can feel his irritation with the sound that just won't end. For the love of all that is holy in this world!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He started sighing- loud, then louder, then even more loudly. Alexa missed the cue. She kept right on going. talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk Finally- I intervened because even though I should feel sympathy for him, as I completely understand where he's coming from- it was funny. I asked her if she would mind, if I turned up the volume on this song- I really liked it. I have no idea what song it was- but I saved all of us from a catastrophic disaster of hurt feelings.
I promise I will end this enormously long blog (this is what happens when I don't blog for a month! I channel my inner Alexa). I have been hugely impressed with Andrew and how he has been with Alexa. He waits for her to get out of the car- without saying anything like, "you're taking forever!" or "Hurry up!" because she does take forever to get out of the car. He walks in with her every morning, and lets her sit with him until they go into their classrooms. He also has been aware of who she sits with at after school and says "Hi!" to her in the hallways. It may not sound like much- but it's more than I expected from him, as he tends to be a bit oblivious to her. So yeah for new school years, and let's hope more blogging, as I am being a slacker and I need to get off my duff.
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