Jonah and Toby are trying out new responsibilities: getting themselves out of the house and on their respective school buses in the morning instead of morning day care.
For the first time in 12 years, Ken is enjoying NOT having to get kids ready for school or drop them off at daycare! He is thrilled about this newfound morning calm. I am often on my way to work before the boys even wake up so sometimes I do not see them until evening. :(
The boys walk Pepper and then Jonah walks Toby to the bus stop (on the corner just 3 houses away!).
Jonah catches his bus at the other end of the block a half hour later. He has missed his bus ONLY once! To Jonah's credit, he figured out what to do (he WAS listening when we discussed the backup plan!).
I only occasionally get a phone call in the morning - a tearful Toby who "can't find any jeans that fit!" or Jonah, "Mom, where are my keys?!"
Middle school has brought a new entity to our household- a sneering mouthy presence who sometimes lives inside Jonah. We call him "Chuckles." Chuckles' mode of operation is entitlement and scorn: "It's my life - you can't command me;" "I demand that you respect me;" while at the same time neglecting to submit homework, clear his dishes, keep track of his belongings.
The most interesting part is the surprised outrage that comes when he realizes his screen time has been revoked pending submission of missing assignments, etc. (We're not really sure what part of the
responsibility = privileges equation is unclear. . .)
None of these consequences are his fault of course, and if he had drawn better parents in this lottery, his life would be ever so much better! We tell him this is giving him useful information for his own future children: he has the power to make their lives infinitely more enjoyable than we are making his. Chuckles lies, yells, and scorns his lame family. And then seemingly at random, Chuckles disappears and we get Jonah again.
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| Calvin and Hobbes |
We are learning all over again how to parent this child. Just when we think we have it down, a new stage pops up. I pray for patience and try to believe in the lessons taught by logical consequences.
After school programs begin this month and Jonah is excited about chess, engineering, and backstage crew for the fall play.
Toby joined drama club at school this year and can hardly wait to begin Math Masters and chess club. His competitive side is finding all sorts of outlets at school: How many minutes can he read in a month? How quickly can he do 100 multiplication problems?
Swim team is in full swing as well, which means we almost never have dinner before 8:00 pm, although we do usually get to eat dinner together as a family most nights!
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