Kael

It's been awhile since I've posted anything with any real substance. As much fun as it is for me to share cute pictures and fun stories of the kids, every now and then it just feels good to write something real.  Something with a little depth.

Kael.

He was really ready for the school year to be over.  By the end of the year he started using words like implore properly in sentences so I knew my second-grader would be ready for the challenge of third grade. His teacher had given me a huge smile at the end of the year: "I know who Kael's teacher is next year.  I can't tell you, but I can tell you that you're going to be really happy."  So, by all accounts, we are ready and excited for third grade.

What we weren't ready for was summer.  In past years I have tried to prepare a schedule so Kael would know what was going on each day.  He thrives on a schedule and the flexibility of summer can be difficult.  But, in other years, I've gone to a lot of work prepping a schedule, only to have him still struggle with the transition from school to summer. So this year, I worked a little bit on creating an "I'm Bored" jar with tons of ideas to keep him occupied.  I came up with a ticket plan so he could manage his Wii/TV/DS time on his own.  I explained that I would be expecting him to help out with a few (light) chores. But I didn't go overboard with the scheduling and planning.  I even had hope that the fact I'm babysitting some friends part-time this summer would help Kael adjust.

But the fact remains.  The first weeks of summer are hard for Kael. Every.single.year.  Overplan/no plan. Overschedule/no schedule.  Babysit/no babysitting.  Strict/laid-back.  It doesn't matter.  He's edgy.  He's talking back.  He's emotional.  I saw a side of Kael yesterday that I haven't seen in a loooong time when we decided to go to the old pool (closer to our house) instead of Cascade Falls (the one with cooler slides and diving boards).  He was not just upset, he was near distraught and I could see that he realized he couldn't get his emotions and actions under control.  And the other kids saw.  And I could see he felt embarrassed.

And I didn't know how to help him.  And it was hard.  It was hard to watch him struggle.  It was hard not knowing the right thing to say.  It's hard that to this day I still don't fully understand how differently his brain works than mine.  It's hard to see that the fun, care-free days of summer are not always so fun and care-free for Kael.  

And once again, I know we'll settle in to a routine. We always do, even if it takes longer than I'd like.  I know Kael will soon be back to his fun-loving, race-running, baseball-playing, joke-telling self.  And then? Then we'll forget that there were ever days like these.  We'll make it a summer to remember.

How's your summer going?