It's the end of summer 2010. And I'm sad about it, so I'm already researching vacations for 2011. On the list of possibilities:
•My First Triathlon/My Next Triathlon family vacation at Lake Lanier Islands in Georgia in June.
•A 4-day culinary vacation to Paris for MacTroll and I.
•A Disney Cruise of some kind in the Caribbean.
Been on any of these kinds of trips? Have any suggestions?
I'm also viewing trips to the Grand Canyon and Portland, Ore., for when X-man is older. But those are ones I'd have to plan out myself... :-) These I just show up and people give me a loose schedule (like when to show up for my bread and chocolate tour of Paris) and the rest is free time...
Tomorrow, we're leaving for Kingsley Pines in Raymond, ME for a week. We'll be flying to Boston and then driving. (Yes, we are aware if we want to take alcohol for the parental happy hours we should stop in NH, so we don't have to pay sales tax. :-) It's a 2-2.5-hour drive to Maine.
On the way back, we're spending Friday night in Boston and then coming home on Saturday for the rest of Labor Day weekend. See you when we return!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Time Management
Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to know what's going on around town. I am obsessed with calendars, event planning -- and I'm pretty good at making nothing into something fun, educational and, maybe even useful.
When MacTroll and I decided we were only going to have an only, I wondered if there was any truth to the adage that only children were lonely and unsocialized children. When I told my mother we were only having one, she told me I'd change my mind. When I asked her why she had two, she said, "Well, you can't just have one."
So, I did some research. And I found out that only children for the most part (because you could have a child in the Brady Bunch and she could be lonely) weren't lonely kids at all. In fact, because they didn't have a sibling at home, it made them uber interested in social situations, making and keeping friends and wanting to try new things. Really? Okay. So, being the completely overachiever that I've been accused of being, I set out to find tons of venues around town, parents groups, neighbors, friends, etc., that would not only give me some insight into parenting but also encourage my little man to explore the world around him.
Except now that I sit here with the calendar, three park district catalogs, my school schedule, MacTroll's travel schedule and my fitness schedule... I'm runin gout of time. Because I also have a firm appreciation that I grew up in a house where I could throw open the door and run outside to play in my yard whenever I wanted or ask permission to go to a neighbor's house to play... a need for "scheduled unscheduled" time. Last weekend we stayed in our jammies pretty much all day on Sunday. It was awesome. We never do that. We're always running from brunch to the market to a friend's house, etc.
X-man asked to do Tae Kwon Do this fall, so I anticipate that's what we'll be doing. I also on a leap of faith enrolled him in Saturday swimming lessons in October and November at the Aquatic Center. Because I can tell when we go swimming, it's time for him to learn. He's already trying the front crawl all by himself, but just needs someone that's NOT ME to lead him through the technique. But there's two activities that take three days, and that to me feels like way more than enough.
I know he wants to do a league t-ball next spring so he can play on the Little League field at Prairie Fields Park. So I'm reserving Saturdays for that. I also signed him up for two one-day soccer clinics in February at the Savoy Recreation Center, hopefully as a way to wear out some of those late winter blues that always pop up around here.
Affordability is also an issue. I can afford TKD only by giving up the Little Gym, where he's taken classes since January. He was sad about that, until I told him I signed him up for two of the Little Gym parent survival nights, so he doesn't lose touch with the Little Gym (and MacTroll and I get 3 hours together in October and in November). He loves it there. He's already asked to have his birthday there next March... Heaven forbid he suddenly decides he has an interest in piano. And what about the Lego clubs around town... and his interest in science? It's insane how many activities that it would be possible to completely over schedule your kid in around here.
He doesn't seem to have any problem bopping from activity to activity when it ends (except he cried when T-ball season was over). And I love his excitement about trying new things. He's a bit of a whirlwind... which, I guess makes him a bit like me. We'll see if that's a good thing or bad thing a bit later, I suppose.
In the end, I guess we're following Robert Heinlein's philosophy:
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Of course, nowhere in that quote does it say that you should be able to fill up water balloons effectively at the backyard hose (which is what we've been doing every night after dinner this week, thanks to Dana and Big Jack). :-) I guess Heinlein just missed out on that kind of fun.
When MacTroll and I decided we were only going to have an only, I wondered if there was any truth to the adage that only children were lonely and unsocialized children. When I told my mother we were only having one, she told me I'd change my mind. When I asked her why she had two, she said, "Well, you can't just have one."
So, I did some research. And I found out that only children for the most part (because you could have a child in the Brady Bunch and she could be lonely) weren't lonely kids at all. In fact, because they didn't have a sibling at home, it made them uber interested in social situations, making and keeping friends and wanting to try new things. Really? Okay. So, being the completely overachiever that I've been accused of being, I set out to find tons of venues around town, parents groups, neighbors, friends, etc., that would not only give me some insight into parenting but also encourage my little man to explore the world around him.
Except now that I sit here with the calendar, three park district catalogs, my school schedule, MacTroll's travel schedule and my fitness schedule... I'm runin gout of time. Because I also have a firm appreciation that I grew up in a house where I could throw open the door and run outside to play in my yard whenever I wanted or ask permission to go to a neighbor's house to play... a need for "scheduled unscheduled" time. Last weekend we stayed in our jammies pretty much all day on Sunday. It was awesome. We never do that. We're always running from brunch to the market to a friend's house, etc.
X-man asked to do Tae Kwon Do this fall, so I anticipate that's what we'll be doing. I also on a leap of faith enrolled him in Saturday swimming lessons in October and November at the Aquatic Center. Because I can tell when we go swimming, it's time for him to learn. He's already trying the front crawl all by himself, but just needs someone that's NOT ME to lead him through the technique. But there's two activities that take three days, and that to me feels like way more than enough.
I know he wants to do a league t-ball next spring so he can play on the Little League field at Prairie Fields Park. So I'm reserving Saturdays for that. I also signed him up for two one-day soccer clinics in February at the Savoy Recreation Center, hopefully as a way to wear out some of those late winter blues that always pop up around here.
Affordability is also an issue. I can afford TKD only by giving up the Little Gym, where he's taken classes since January. He was sad about that, until I told him I signed him up for two of the Little Gym parent survival nights, so he doesn't lose touch with the Little Gym (and MacTroll and I get 3 hours together in October and in November). He loves it there. He's already asked to have his birthday there next March... Heaven forbid he suddenly decides he has an interest in piano. And what about the Lego clubs around town... and his interest in science? It's insane how many activities that it would be possible to completely over schedule your kid in around here.
He doesn't seem to have any problem bopping from activity to activity when it ends (except he cried when T-ball season was over). And I love his excitement about trying new things. He's a bit of a whirlwind... which, I guess makes him a bit like me. We'll see if that's a good thing or bad thing a bit later, I suppose.
In the end, I guess we're following Robert Heinlein's philosophy:
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Of course, nowhere in that quote does it say that you should be able to fill up water balloons effectively at the backyard hose (which is what we've been doing every night after dinner this week, thanks to Dana and Big Jack). :-) I guess Heinlein just missed out on that kind of fun.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Hey, I know you!
I returned to class on Monday at Parkland and have been doing double takes at people all week long. As it turns out, three of my classmates are Moms I know. One is a parent of a fellow All Star 2 student in X-man's room at Next Generation. One was a toddler teacher at NG until she had a baby 3 months ago and I taught a fellow student's son at Mother's Morning Out last spring.
It's funny how running into people in unusual places makes you all say, "Hey wait, I know you from somewhere!" One figured me out at drop off this morning. The other I had to go home and think about. And the NG teacher knows X-man since her room shared a bathroom with the Turtles. :-)
It's funny how tiny this town is when you have kids or dogs...
It's funny how running into people in unusual places makes you all say, "Hey wait, I know you from somewhere!" One figured me out at drop off this morning. The other I had to go home and think about. And the NG teacher knows X-man since her room shared a bathroom with the Turtles. :-)
It's funny how tiny this town is when you have kids or dogs...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
TKD: Day 2
We returned to HMD Academy today for our second day of classes. Today started off a little harder (X-man just wanted to go home and watch/read Magic School Bus). When I told him that we had signed up, so we were going to go, he told me I was a bad Mommy and he was going to erase the sign up. He complained about it all the way into the dry cleaners to drop off a quilt and back into the car and all the way to TKD.
Then when we got to TKD, the complaining stopped. He went inside, took off his shoes, put them on the shoe rack and wanted to go into the classroom. I tried to explain that I'm old and need more stretching before class, which, of course, leads to the question, "Mommy, are you old like a grandma?"
Nice. Thanks kid.
I stretch with him nagging me the whole time. Then we go in. When you enter the classroom you bow. I tried to explain that this is a respectful gesture. He just looked at me like I was crazy. We were the first ones ready (everyone else was changing into their uniforms in the bathroom). Against the east wall is a bunch of portable punching bags. I have to admit on the first day, I was rather excited to see them. I've taken a bunch of cardio kickboxing classes in my lifetime, but NONE of them is ever exciting as the one class I took where you did full contact kick boxing with a bag. Seriously. There is something about hitting and kicking the crap out of something that is just fulfilling. (Hmmm, no wonder I played tennis, volleyball and soccer as a kid.) I like the contact.
We warmed up with our 9-year-old assistant and then Mr. Hyong (Master Hyong's son). Then Master Hyong came out and worked with us and another beginner. He was there with his outfit and his white belt (where we'll start). We did some reviews of kicks and blocks that we learned on Monday. Then we learned some fun jump back and kick maneuvers and practiced how our toes should be pointed, flexed, full foot flex, etc. for each different kind of kick.
In the first five minutes, Master Hyong said to me, "Funny story, but true. Sometimes parents bring their kids in to try TKD, and then the kids lose interest... but the parent stays and gets black belt. So be aware that you may stay, even if he goes." I think that might have been complimentary of my efforts, but then again, it could have just been a story...
Master Hyong picked up on the fact that X-man works awesome and pays more attention when he has one-on-one interaction. He also likes to yell and roar like a lion. He also finds it entertaining when he surprises the master. So while we were in fighting stance and jumping back to avoid a kick and then twisting to kick with our back foot, X-man actually got the Master in the shin. He was trying to get X-man to jump back, because he'd jump back and fall to the ground rather than stay on his feet. Then he started doing it, and whomp out shot the right kicking leg and -- bump -- it made contact. Master's face smiled. He high fived X-man. And X-man was beaming. He got it right, and he actually got one in on the master.
I had over 3 hours of workouts today between physical therapy, mowing the lawn, weeding and TKD. And I'm pooped and gross and sweaty. I'm going back out to weed some more on the west side of the house, to prepare for our last trip this summer. But I'm looking forward to coming back for TKD classes, and to go to Master Hyong's house for a special HMD Academy pig roast party with cowboy shooting exhibitions, horseback riding, archery and more. X-man thought that sounded awesome, so I think we're finding a new community of sorts. And really, wouldn't you just die to see me in a few years with a black belt. I'd be almost as awesome as Mr. Libbygrrl. We could spar.
Then when we got to TKD, the complaining stopped. He went inside, took off his shoes, put them on the shoe rack and wanted to go into the classroom. I tried to explain that I'm old and need more stretching before class, which, of course, leads to the question, "Mommy, are you old like a grandma?"
Nice. Thanks kid.
I stretch with him nagging me the whole time. Then we go in. When you enter the classroom you bow. I tried to explain that this is a respectful gesture. He just looked at me like I was crazy. We were the first ones ready (everyone else was changing into their uniforms in the bathroom). Against the east wall is a bunch of portable punching bags. I have to admit on the first day, I was rather excited to see them. I've taken a bunch of cardio kickboxing classes in my lifetime, but NONE of them is ever exciting as the one class I took where you did full contact kick boxing with a bag. Seriously. There is something about hitting and kicking the crap out of something that is just fulfilling. (Hmmm, no wonder I played tennis, volleyball and soccer as a kid.) I like the contact.
We warmed up with our 9-year-old assistant and then Mr. Hyong (Master Hyong's son). Then Master Hyong came out and worked with us and another beginner. He was there with his outfit and his white belt (where we'll start). We did some reviews of kicks and blocks that we learned on Monday. Then we learned some fun jump back and kick maneuvers and practiced how our toes should be pointed, flexed, full foot flex, etc. for each different kind of kick.
In the first five minutes, Master Hyong said to me, "Funny story, but true. Sometimes parents bring their kids in to try TKD, and then the kids lose interest... but the parent stays and gets black belt. So be aware that you may stay, even if he goes." I think that might have been complimentary of my efforts, but then again, it could have just been a story...
Master Hyong picked up on the fact that X-man works awesome and pays more attention when he has one-on-one interaction. He also likes to yell and roar like a lion. He also finds it entertaining when he surprises the master. So while we were in fighting stance and jumping back to avoid a kick and then twisting to kick with our back foot, X-man actually got the Master in the shin. He was trying to get X-man to jump back, because he'd jump back and fall to the ground rather than stay on his feet. Then he started doing it, and whomp out shot the right kicking leg and -- bump -- it made contact. Master's face smiled. He high fived X-man. And X-man was beaming. He got it right, and he actually got one in on the master.
I had over 3 hours of workouts today between physical therapy, mowing the lawn, weeding and TKD. And I'm pooped and gross and sweaty. I'm going back out to weed some more on the west side of the house, to prepare for our last trip this summer. But I'm looking forward to coming back for TKD classes, and to go to Master Hyong's house for a special HMD Academy pig roast party with cowboy shooting exhibitions, horseback riding, archery and more. X-man thought that sounded awesome, so I think we're finding a new community of sorts. And really, wouldn't you just die to see me in a few years with a black belt. I'd be almost as awesome as Mr. Libbygrrl. We could spar.
Getting Back in the Saddle
Today at physical therapy, Eric (the PT) asked me when my next scheduled run would be. My response, "When won't it hurt?"
He looked at me and smiled. "You won't now unless you try it."
I sighed.
"Friday. I'll go out Friday."
"Good. Let me know how it goes."
I'm scared to death, but I know he's right. I've been successfully making it to fitness classes, getting on my bike and tomorrow I'm re-entering the Aquatic Center for the first time in a while, since I finally found my punch cards -- hooray.
But I also did something else. I signed up for the Women's Fitness 5k at the end of September. I find myself in a common situation to last year when I did the Ambulance Chase and got turned on to running... but had my training side tracked due to issues with a weak pelvic floor that landed me in PT and without the ability to exercise more than walking for six weeks. Like last year, it isn't about personal bests. I don't consider myself a runner. Instead, I'm just going out there to finish and to help a good cause.
So, if you see me out doing short runs or run/walks (let's be realistic after 10 weeks pretty much off running) around Prairie Fields cheer me on or something will ya? Because I'm feeling pretty out of sorts. And if you run the race, stick around when you're done and yell me in or something, too, please? X-man is doing the kid dash beforehand, so if your kids want to run around in the trees with mine, that's cool, too.
He looked at me and smiled. "You won't now unless you try it."
I sighed.
"Friday. I'll go out Friday."
"Good. Let me know how it goes."
I'm scared to death, but I know he's right. I've been successfully making it to fitness classes, getting on my bike and tomorrow I'm re-entering the Aquatic Center for the first time in a while, since I finally found my punch cards -- hooray.
But I also did something else. I signed up for the Women's Fitness 5k at the end of September. I find myself in a common situation to last year when I did the Ambulance Chase and got turned on to running... but had my training side tracked due to issues with a weak pelvic floor that landed me in PT and without the ability to exercise more than walking for six weeks. Like last year, it isn't about personal bests. I don't consider myself a runner. Instead, I'm just going out there to finish and to help a good cause.
So, if you see me out doing short runs or run/walks (let's be realistic after 10 weeks pretty much off running) around Prairie Fields cheer me on or something will ya? Because I'm feeling pretty out of sorts. And if you run the race, stick around when you're done and yell me in or something, too, please? X-man is doing the kid dash beforehand, so if your kids want to run around in the trees with mine, that's cool, too.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Trying Something New
Today, X-man and I walked into our first Tae Kwon Do class at HMD Academy in Savoy. I got information about their program when we took X-man to see Toy Story earlier in the summer. They had a table set up outside the movie theater for one free month of classes. I liked that unlike the park district they were fine with him being 4. I was also hoping TKD could be something we did as a family that would help me teach X-man to have more control not over just his body, but over his emotions as well.
He's 4, and as a student in early childhood, there's nothing really that is completely not within normal developmental behavioral issues -- right now. But I also know that some of the normal developmental issues mirror ADHD. I'm not raising a red flag, I'm just saying, I'm watching him and his emotional roller coaster...
Mostly what I'm worried about are the self-esteem and emotional self-control issues he's been having lately. He says no one likes him. He says he doesn't have any friends. He says he thinks his teachers don't like him. But to me he thinks anyone doesn't like him who tries to persuade him to do something he doesn't want to do. And if what they were asking him to do was "bad" this would be a good instinct. But wiping your butt after you go poop, keeping your hands to yourself, not whining for everything and not jumping about for attention are all things within a) a normal 4 year old's problem area and b) something everyone in his life is trying to teach him to do -- because they're necessary social development skills.
But when anyone disciplines him or asks him to correct his behavior, he falls apart. Case in point, last week I went on a field trip to the Orpheum with his class. When he saw me across the parking lot, my child dropped his partner's hand and RAN INTO THE STREET. Yes, I know he was excited to see me, but, of course, what he got was Ms. Shari, Ms. Susan and I all shouting, "No!" and "Danger!" and "Cars!" And his little heart raced and he started crying because he was in trouble. The next 30 minutes I was saddled with a very clingy, very emotionally overwrought kid.
"I don't want to be in trouble. I don't want to be bad."
Even after telling him he wasn't in trouble, we were just all scared and that he did a good job by stopping where he was and then going back to the sidewalk, it couldn't erase the embarrassment and shame he felt. He did something wrong -- and, therefore, for the rest of the day he thought he had had a bad day. It ruined every other good thing he did that day. This kind of overdramatic behavior totally runs in my family. And the funny part is, I exhibit it more when my husband is around than I do when he's gone. When he's gone, there's no one to bitch, too. So I just kind of suck it up. When he's home the minute something doesn't go my way, I throw my hands up and start cursing.
I remember feeling like my life was ending when I got my name put up on the blackboard as a kid because I turned around in my desk to loan my neighbor some scissors... which I apparently wasn't supposed to do because the teacher had just told us to face forward because we were all uber noisy that day. She wrote my name on the board, and at 34, I still remember sobbing about it and being too ashamed to raise my hand in class for the rest of the week because I thought it meant that my teacher hated me. Ain't genetics great?
Anyway, we showed up to the new TKD 3:30 class on M/W. There were 3 other boys in the class with X-man. Two 9-10 year olds and a 5 year old who is smaller than X-man. The assistant teacher had one of the 9 year olds run warm ups and stretching. I am doing it with X-man, so we did all the stretches, then we did sprints, sit ups, push ups and some basic stances. After warm up Master Hyong came and worked with X-man and I. He asked me not to try to teach X-man (so he could). I just modeled good behavior by following instruction. Xander lasted about 15 minutes. In that time, he sat down about a dozen times, flailed about, said he couldn't do something but then he kicked and hit pretty effectively, cheered for himself, was then shy, was then loud, and then he did his fake cry... in short he was all over the place. Master Hyong and I continued while X-man got to go sit by the wall and take a break. Then he had a little talk with me as he was doing some exercises with me. In 15 minutes, he had deconstructed my child's strengths and weaknesses. Those that are normal for his age, and those that are specific to him.
And he was dead on. I guess 47 years of working with kids has its benefits for parents everywhere.
We're going back for class on Wednesday, and I hope I can get him to stick with it. X-man had announced in the middle of class he was done and ready to go home, but I kept working. So he kept working... Then at the end, when we left the classroom, he played with the Legos for a while, and I ran into an MMO mom and her three boys. Her 5 year old was in the 4:15 class and then 5 minutes later a CARE friend of mine came through with her son and daughter. Her 6-year-old son was in the 4:15 class, too. Both were big fans of Master Hyong and the positive changes they've seen in their sons.
So, we'll see where we are after class two. I'll probably go back and meet with Master Hyong and see what his strategy is re: my training and X-man's. We'll see if he wants me to continue in a class with X-man or go to one after. I really enjoyed it, myself. And I loved watching how positively he and the other teachers interacted with the small kids, particularly. They had an expectation, and when it was met, the praise was definitely given. I could tell when that happened, X-man felt special and proud of himself. It made it easier when he had trouble on the next activity.
I guess, in the end, I'm hoping that TKD will help me raise a better boy. But I will admit it was nice that during that entire class experience, I was off the hook for discipline. He didn't get to hang on me or whine at me. And I made it clear when we went in, that like him, I had never done this before. So I was not in charge in the room Master Hyong was... but he still looked at me before he did anything.
It was also nice that during stretching some of the items were familiar for him though. At one point he said, "I know how to do these stretches from Little Gym!"
So, wish us luck. :-)
He's 4, and as a student in early childhood, there's nothing really that is completely not within normal developmental behavioral issues -- right now. But I also know that some of the normal developmental issues mirror ADHD. I'm not raising a red flag, I'm just saying, I'm watching him and his emotional roller coaster...
Mostly what I'm worried about are the self-esteem and emotional self-control issues he's been having lately. He says no one likes him. He says he doesn't have any friends. He says he thinks his teachers don't like him. But to me he thinks anyone doesn't like him who tries to persuade him to do something he doesn't want to do. And if what they were asking him to do was "bad" this would be a good instinct. But wiping your butt after you go poop, keeping your hands to yourself, not whining for everything and not jumping about for attention are all things within a) a normal 4 year old's problem area and b) something everyone in his life is trying to teach him to do -- because they're necessary social development skills.
But when anyone disciplines him or asks him to correct his behavior, he falls apart. Case in point, last week I went on a field trip to the Orpheum with his class. When he saw me across the parking lot, my child dropped his partner's hand and RAN INTO THE STREET. Yes, I know he was excited to see me, but, of course, what he got was Ms. Shari, Ms. Susan and I all shouting, "No!" and "Danger!" and "Cars!" And his little heart raced and he started crying because he was in trouble. The next 30 minutes I was saddled with a very clingy, very emotionally overwrought kid.
"I don't want to be in trouble. I don't want to be bad."
Even after telling him he wasn't in trouble, we were just all scared and that he did a good job by stopping where he was and then going back to the sidewalk, it couldn't erase the embarrassment and shame he felt. He did something wrong -- and, therefore, for the rest of the day he thought he had had a bad day. It ruined every other good thing he did that day. This kind of overdramatic behavior totally runs in my family. And the funny part is, I exhibit it more when my husband is around than I do when he's gone. When he's gone, there's no one to bitch, too. So I just kind of suck it up. When he's home the minute something doesn't go my way, I throw my hands up and start cursing.
I remember feeling like my life was ending when I got my name put up on the blackboard as a kid because I turned around in my desk to loan my neighbor some scissors... which I apparently wasn't supposed to do because the teacher had just told us to face forward because we were all uber noisy that day. She wrote my name on the board, and at 34, I still remember sobbing about it and being too ashamed to raise my hand in class for the rest of the week because I thought it meant that my teacher hated me. Ain't genetics great?
Anyway, we showed up to the new TKD 3:30 class on M/W. There were 3 other boys in the class with X-man. Two 9-10 year olds and a 5 year old who is smaller than X-man. The assistant teacher had one of the 9 year olds run warm ups and stretching. I am doing it with X-man, so we did all the stretches, then we did sprints, sit ups, push ups and some basic stances. After warm up Master Hyong came and worked with X-man and I. He asked me not to try to teach X-man (so he could). I just modeled good behavior by following instruction. Xander lasted about 15 minutes. In that time, he sat down about a dozen times, flailed about, said he couldn't do something but then he kicked and hit pretty effectively, cheered for himself, was then shy, was then loud, and then he did his fake cry... in short he was all over the place. Master Hyong and I continued while X-man got to go sit by the wall and take a break. Then he had a little talk with me as he was doing some exercises with me. In 15 minutes, he had deconstructed my child's strengths and weaknesses. Those that are normal for his age, and those that are specific to him.
And he was dead on. I guess 47 years of working with kids has its benefits for parents everywhere.
We're going back for class on Wednesday, and I hope I can get him to stick with it. X-man had announced in the middle of class he was done and ready to go home, but I kept working. So he kept working... Then at the end, when we left the classroom, he played with the Legos for a while, and I ran into an MMO mom and her three boys. Her 5 year old was in the 4:15 class and then 5 minutes later a CARE friend of mine came through with her son and daughter. Her 6-year-old son was in the 4:15 class, too. Both were big fans of Master Hyong and the positive changes they've seen in their sons.
So, we'll see where we are after class two. I'll probably go back and meet with Master Hyong and see what his strategy is re: my training and X-man's. We'll see if he wants me to continue in a class with X-man or go to one after. I really enjoyed it, myself. And I loved watching how positively he and the other teachers interacted with the small kids, particularly. They had an expectation, and when it was met, the praise was definitely given. I could tell when that happened, X-man felt special and proud of himself. It made it easier when he had trouble on the next activity.
I guess, in the end, I'm hoping that TKD will help me raise a better boy. But I will admit it was nice that during that entire class experience, I was off the hook for discipline. He didn't get to hang on me or whine at me. And I made it clear when we went in, that like him, I had never done this before. So I was not in charge in the room Master Hyong was... but he still looked at me before he did anything.
It was also nice that during stretching some of the items were familiar for him though. At one point he said, "I know how to do these stretches from Little Gym!"
So, wish us luck. :-)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Eeks, how'd I get so behind?
Okay, I swear I felt on top of thing around my house two weeks ago before we went to Canada, and now I feel infinitely behind. The gardens are covered in gigantic weeds that grew when we were gone, the house needs to be cleaned. I'm still working on moving things from the garage to the basement.
It's a mess. Hopefully on Tuesday I'll get it under control.
Right now I just want to vacate so I don't have to look at it. Is it only me who gets this way?
It's a mess. Hopefully on Tuesday I'll get it under control.
Right now I just want to vacate so I don't have to look at it. Is it only me who gets this way?
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