Okay, so the last two weeks of getting Joshua to school have been interesting. He stopped enjoying going there and started screaming his head off if I even mentioned his school at breakfast. He screamed in the car, and he screamed all the way from the car to the classroom. I cried when I left. The next day felt worse, so I sat with him a little longer this time. Broke my heart to see him so sad. But when I picked him up that noon, I looked at the teacher, and I said, I'm not helping him, am I? She said no, you aren't. Find a place that is comfortable for him, that would normally interest him, sit him down, say I love you and I will see you later, and then turn around and leave. I knew she was right, but it still sounded, well, cruel. But supporting and abetting his crying jags weren't helping either, so I resolved to do better this week. Tuesday, I put him in the front room and he screamed when I left, but only five minutes this time (it was ten minutes at the worst, and then he'd have a great day). Thursday he screamed, but only two minutes. Today, I dropped him off in the fish/puzzle room and he barely listened to me as I said goodbye, he was off playing. Now, why did that make me all sniffly as much as his yelling his head off for me the other days? I shook my head and laughed at myself through my tears as I walked to my car. motherhood can be silly.
Josh wore me down and we got another beta fish. It is a beautiful silver with purple fins. I went out to water the tree and do poop patrol. THe mosquitos got thick enough to carry Josh off, so he went inside. I stayed in the yard for a couple of minutes to finish watering, and when I went inside, Josh says, Mommy! the fish were hungry so I fed them. Uh oh. I just knew this couldn't be good. These fish eat maybe three bloodworms at a sitting. Josh dumped in hundreds of them. It was disgusting. I had to fish them out while explaining to Josh that, yes, it was nice of him to be so thoughtful, but he had to be careful not to give too much. I kept thinking of Justin and chuckling to myself. You will never live it down, Justin! I reiterated my rule, instituted after he fed the previous fish a bagel and gave it his car to play with: Nothing goes in the tank without my okay.
Sam attended a great birthday party today. She and three friends had their nails done. Sam's nails are a gorgeous blue with pretty flowers on two nails. They had dinner and a movie. Sam said they were really fun, except Maggie was kind of argumentative. I couldn't quite believe my ears, so I asked her to repeat, she said the same thing again. What seven year old says 'argumentative?' I guess Sam. She has missed Daddy while Matt is gone all week in Seattle. We all have missed him. Come home soon!
