My physical energy has been sapped by the resumption of teaching tap, after 7 weeks of rest, and 14 straight days of temperatures over 30 degrees. Here is what that does to you...
Hot cat.
As for my mental (and occasionally my emotional) energy, well that is being sucked dry by high school, high school, high school. If I haven't been trying to find large sums of money for all the stuff needed (books, uniform, the ipad, the apps for the ipad, music fees, I've lost track of all the other stuff but believe me, coming up with that amount of money in my non-earning period was a challenge! If you have a Grade 6 child, start saving up now!!), then I've been trying to help my stressed-out boy become an organised and focused person. This is not, repeat not, his natural state. (In our mothers group, all the firstborns are dreamers and all the second-borns are focused, it keeps Jen, Astrid and me very amused) That being the case, I am enormously proud of how well Climber is doing. It doesn't come naturally to him, but he is trying so hard, and mostly succeeding. The main thing is, he is approaching it with a great attitude. But the sheer volume of things he needs to remember means that, inevitably, he has the occasional lapse. Last Friday he rode the whole way to school before realising he'd forgotten to wear his bike helmet. (Bike helmets are compulsory in Melbourne. His panicked text message to me read I dont have a helmet. Help me.) And today I had to quickly run his flute and music book to school after receiving another urgent message from him. I think he misread his schedule, and of course today was the day I merely said get your bag packed and didn't actually stand with him to check his progress. Ah well, live and learn.
Meanwhile, his little brother has been putting his natural focus and drive to good effect. A week or so ago, he announced he wanted to go to school dressed up as Michael Jackson. This, we thought, was because his class are to perform [Michael Jackson's song] Thriller at the Grade 4 Concert, and to that end they'd been watching MJ videos for inspiration, and Cherub, as he is wont to do, had developed an official obsession (his words) with the single-gloved one. What Cherub was keeping under his white fedora was that the drama teacher had said he was going to select someone from the class to play the role of Michael Jackson in the performance.
I'll have you know that Cherub's efficient and targeted campaign was wholly successful, and it was a highly excited small boy who bounded out of school to greet me with the good news that he'd been picked to play Michael Jackson.
He also attended his first ever swimming carnival and came home with an unexpected ribbon! Third place in breaststroke!
It's good to be the Cherub.
Basil is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteCherub has really discovered who he is, and he (from what I get from your stories) is a confident, funny, talented kid.
Good on him for his ribbon, I failed dismally at swimming at school. Still do, really.
High School is such an adjustment! so much to remember at the start, it can be very overwhelming but gets easier.
ReplyDeleteWell done Cherub on the swimming ribbon!
So good to catch up on how the boys are doing. Year 7 is so challenging for all sorts of reasons.
ReplyDeleteOh gawd...I remember that first year of high school. What a head spin...and that was for me, not Queenie! My tried and tested method is a printed out day-by-day guide stuck to the fridge - with every item that is required on any particular day: flute, music folder, swimming gear, sports clothes, etc etc. It gets tricky when they have a 10-day timetable, but Queenie is now (after three and a bit years!) pretty good at staying on top of what she needs when.
ReplyDeleteWell done to the Cherub - both his campaign for the main part, and the swimming ribbon! Excellent stuff.
I'm sure he'll be wonderful but I don't think he'll actually be mistaken for MJ... .
ReplyDeleteThis does not bode well. My boys are often sent to school missing various things - pack lunches, library books, gym kit & chanter, and they're only in Primary. I dread what it's going to be like when they hit Senior.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the Cherub for winning his ribbon and being picked to play MJ. Who's playing Bubbles?