She looks so calm, but she cried LOUD and HARD when I had to take her off!
It might be an even bigger moment for the kid to do the riding themselves. In fact, I got the idea to put her on the tricycle with Gabriel because she very clearly wanted to ride it herself, and it was a way of putting off the problem. But, I underestimated Gabriel, and he very gladly gave up the tricycle for his little sister (then promptly bullied his little brother for the scooter he was riding).
Katrina really, really, really wants to ride something. She makes a beeline for the bicycles in the garage, and no matter who's got the tricycle, she goes right over to it and puts up a huge fuss to get it. And an even huger one when it's time to come inside. She can just barely reach the ground om this tricycle, and succeeds in very slowly pushing it around, though the slightest bump or hill stumps her.
Gabriel had a temperature today, so I had to keep him home. I wasn't at all heartbroken, having a day at home alone with him. I took him to work so I could get my laptop, and in theory do some work at home, but of course that didn't happen. Gabriel is the best, and least demanding, sick kid there is, but I still interacted with him a lot, and then we ran some errands together.
It was intriguing that Gabriel was so aware of the time and what was happening at school. "It's noon, lunchtime!" "In 3 minutes, it's recess time." "Right now, the whistle is blowing." I know he's ordered, but really.
We talked about school, and he said they weren't doing reading groups anymore. He also said they didn't go on a field trip that I know they did, so he's a very unreliable witness. I couldn't get out of him what happened to the reading groups, as he turned the conversation to other subjects. "My favorite is math," he said, then went on to tell me who was good at math and who wasn't, but he couldn't say why. Naturally he claimed he was really good at it, but I wouldn't acknowledge that without him telling me why.
And so I started the parent-brainwashing, drilling in what I really believe: what really matters is how hard you try. I told him that even if he is good at something, what's really important is that you work hard and ask a lot of questions. In truth, I do believe he's inclined toward math and science, but so what. Motivation, interest, dedication, work, resourcefulness, inquisitiveness, all matter a lot more, and that's true if you're a mathematician, a writer, a musician, a professional BMXer, a Mom, or anything. Sure, a few extra IQ points come in handy toward the Nobel Prize, but let's get through K first.
Julian did great last night! I heard him get up this morning and go right to the bathroom. He was dry! But....wait a minute, he was wearing his "emergency pajamas." We put an extra pair of pajamas and underpants right under the nightlight in his room, in case he's wet. Apparently, he made use of them last night. His wet pajamas weren't that wet, just a little, so he must have woken up when he realized he was going. Then he changed into the dry pajamas and underpants, put the wet ones into the laundry basket, and went back to bed! We never heard a thing. That, to me, is huge success, since he handled the situation, all on his own!
Katrina wasn't feeling so well this afternoon either, though you can see by the tricycle pictures she made a miraculous recovery later in the evening. I really hope I can go to work tomorrow...sort of.
3/11/08
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