Kid Immersion

I have had my baby Merlot here the last few days.

(Yes when she is sick all homework tantrums and other naughtiness is forgotten)

We have cuddled and napped and it has been full of 7 year-old love,

Ritz crackers and Disney Channel.

Sometimes I wish I was 7 again. Imagine being able to dig in your heels and

throw a complete wobbly when you don’t want to do something.

Oh, maybe I do that. (Actually I don’t, I just fuss about it here)

I think kids today have waaay too much on them anyway.

She had at least an hour of homework Monday night and she is in 2nd grade.

2nd grade people!

She had to write 12 complete sentences using her 12 vocabulary words

She had a reading sheet with 6 questions about Apollo-Saturn 11.

(Yes, I know what that is now)

and

She had to research and write 5 facts about Neil Armstrong.

2nd grade people!

I think we still just colored in 2nd grade.

No wonder she got nauseated and puked a little bit.

The pressure!

Jumping Bean, now in 5th grade, had a med check on Monday for her ADHD

and we changed her to Vyvanse + Intuniv.

Because we were changing her meds and had the appointment, she went to school

after her appointment unmedicated. She came down at 5 in the afternoon in tears and said,

“I am trying to do my homework and it is terrible! I am so unfocused! I don’t like this feeling!”

Awful. Bless her heart.

I’m sure that in l973 I was unfocused. But the academic pressure was not remotely like it is now. These kids have to be competitive in kindergarten. I was well into high school before I felt academic pressure. Her teacher’s have said they will begin doing pre-algebra this year. Really? 5th grade. I think we were learning division. Actually, in 5th grade I don’t remember doing any school work at all. I do remember ripping and running outside, fighting with the neighborhood boys. Oh and I remember recess. Dodgeball!

She did fine on her new meds except for some antisocial behavior after school. She was very quiet and went straight to her room to do her homework. She came down at 4:30 and was ready to engage and have a snack. I will be watching this personality change after school because I don’t want her to do that at school. I want her to have fun and enjoy her friends.

It is terrible to have to make the choice between focus and personality.

Stanley is a total fail. He has no idea how to deal with this sensitive little girl. He screams at her to focus and hurry up and she totally decompensates and cries harder completely halting whatever task it was that she needed to focus and hurry up on. He will have trouble with his relationship with her if he doesn’t get a clue as to how she works.

I pick up the pieces of his destruction.

And try to model better ways to handle her.

I can see that she wants his approval so much and feels like she fails when she breaks down.

I plan to talk to him about it later.