I went to the elementary school yesterday and had lunch with Leon. He didn't know that I was doing that and was so shocked when he saw me coming down the hall.
Since they were serving chili, I had packed Leon a lunch in his Spiderman bag and he found seats for us. He practically laid on the bench beside him to guard it for me while I got my food in line. But a little girl sat next to him, pushing him over. He got off the bench looking like he was going to cry. I called over, Just find another spot! OH!!! he did.
I think I paid 3 times what the kids pay for lunch and got the same quantity. I am probably 3 times (maybe more) as big as any of those kids... In the past when I attended lunches with my kids, they'd heap on more since I was an adult. But nope. Half cup chili... darn.
No one got more hugs yesterday than me when I sat down next to Leon. He was so happy to have me there and show off his "grandma" to all the kids sitting around us. "She's NOT my MOM... She's my GRANDMA!"
And I became "grandma" to them too.
I can't tell you how many milks I opened, or packages of crackers, or bags of chips, etc for these kids around me. Oh and a straw or two. The kid next to Leon started calling me Grandma. "Grandma, can you open this for me?"
Who are you?!... But ok.
Maddy's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs R. came over and said, "Mrs H and I were wondering, is this YOUR child or what?" "It's Ryan's son!" "REALLY!? He can't be old enough! How old are each of your kids?"
I told her and also mentioned that we're getting old. She was stunned that we're of grandparent age already and she's getting kids of past students already. I'm sure we're not the first to come through...
Leon was very helpful in making sure I put the spoon in the right place and dump my tray in the right place. Some details, he's REALLY good at. Like shutting me up as soon as we stepped into the line in the hall. SSSHHH!!!
But he'd already lost all his cubes for the morning and couldn't afford to lose any more. A program the teacher uses to keep kids on the right track. Five strikes and they can't do any of the free time at the end of the day.
I decided to start that same idea this morning in our house with salt/pepper shakers from the wedding. I've got lots of those! But only needed 5. Each time he over dawdles or misbehaves, I take one down. He lost two before he left the house this morning...
The teacher is in for a treat today! :)
And the gel beads are still going strong at day 2!
Have an awesome weekend.
4 comments:
We used a magnet thing with our oldest who struggled with self control/erratic behavior in preschool and elementary. A combination of rewards, losses, and more frequent transitions in his day once he hit middle school kept his quickly bored mind challenged,seemed to help him outgrow the need for these kinds of measures. Kids that are high energy, have early challenges in self control, etc. might struggle their whole life to a certain extent, but getting the skills early helps them be able to manage on their own over time. Kudos to Leon for starting to understand.
When Son3 was in elementary school his brother would go have lunch with him occasionally. Because there is such a big gap in their ages, his school friends at first thought he was Son3's dad. Ultimately though they became enchanted because his brother could drive, had a car and would occasionally take him to Chucky Cheese.
Same issue at my primary school cafeteria. They charge teachers a huge amount for student servings. We have boycotted! lol Glad to hear you enjoyed eating at the lunch table. Always an adventure!
LOL!! My name was "Kazi's mom" for so many years. "Kazi's mom can you tie my shoe?" I kinda miss that. Now they actually use my name.
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