Needles and a Pen » Knitting, Sewing, and Nursing School

Will: I have a new plan. [whispers] Want to know my new plan?
Me: Sure.
Will: I’m going to be good all year.
Me: Oh sweetie, you ARE good.
Will: No–I’m going to be good ALL year.
Me: Sweetie–you don’t have to worry.
Will: No! I have a new PLAN! I’m going to say “Hurray! It’s time for school! Hurray! It’s time for shower!” [these are actually times when he usually gets in trouble for his response, which is usually the opposite of hurray and involves a lot of whining.] “I’m going to say “This is such a yummy dinner, mommy. Thank you for making such a yummy dinner.” [this is sometimes an issue.] That’s because I made a new plan.
For whatever reason, he must have spent a fair bit of time considering his overall behavior tonight, because, in addition to these promises, he also apologized a bunch

I forgot that we had his pediatrician appointment earlier this week.  He is in the 97th percentile (he dropped a percentile this year)—and is the height of an average 7 year old.  He was super brave for his shots and didn’t even cry during the first 3…it was only after the last one that his little face scrunched up and the tears flowed.  The nurse said “I know, I’m so sorry—that last one does hurt” and I felt so badly for him, because I had a shot recently that hurt, too!  He said that “they shot me in my bones” and was so sure that last one had gone in his bone. 

We had Will’s spring parent-teacher conference tonight.  It went so well.  They are as impressed by his drawing and creativity as I am.  They described him as “bright” and shook their heads in wonder recalling the conversations they have with him. 

They were particularly excited to show us his ‘not a box’—a project the class has been working on for a few weeks.  They read a story called Not a Box, about all the things a little boy turned a box into.  The kids then each got a box and got to turn it into something.  Will chose a ferry, and the teachers were eager to find out if he had gone on a ferry recently because they said he was incredibly specific about how it needed to be.  It needed to be green and black and have a section on the outside for walking around.  In short, it was modeled after the Seattle ferry we rode at Thanksgiving!  There weren’t any ferries in the book, which is why they were so particularly excited by Will’s choice and his very specific vision!

They mentioned his artistic skill and his amazing drawings, which I was delighted with because I feel like in the last month or two his drawings have gotten RIDICULOUS for a 5 year old!  They also love the tremendous recall that his drawings show—they are usually very specific objects from memory. 

I was surprised to see that he could identify a few of his classmate’s names, and it was really fun to see some of the drawings that he has in his classroom portfolio that we hadn’t seen yet.

We’re very glad that their only area of concern is one that has been on our radar, too…his tendency to shut down when under pressure.  It’s like he loses the ability to process and function when he feels disoriented or threatened.  It’s something we’ve been watching and will continue to watch and hope to give him a few tools to help him deal with it as he gets older.

Another great conference and I feel so grateful for it.  After that one horrible ambush conference at his first preschool (he had several good conferences then switched to a new teacher and his conference was horrible—but she was having him write and cut with his left hand, thought he was 4 and not 3 and just generally showed a complete lack of knowledge about him while telling me how far behind he was) conference time has made me incredibly nervous.  Even though it was a one-off, and the 3 other teachers he’s had in his academic career have all gushed over him, it really makes me feel for the mommas that go home from a conference with bad news!