Safari Week

It’s been a fun week for the girls (O’s behavioral issues aside.) Their school has been celebrating Right to Read week and the theme has been Safari Week.

On Monday, Alyssa got to go to school with Crazy Hair. And because I’m THAT mom, we dyed the ends of her hair as well as her bangs red. Yes, it will be red through the end of the year. Big deal.

Tuesday was Wear Your Rain Gear (no umbrellas, please) day. They both wore rain boots and ponchos. Much fun was had boarding the bus that morning.

Wednesday the girls wore animal print clothes. Olivia had on a pair of zebra print pants and Alyssa’s shirt resembled the pelt of a leopard. Wild animals, indeed.

Yesterday they both wore khaki pants. Alyssa wore a shirt in camouflage print and O wore a light colored long-sleeved t-shirt beneath a vest we got from the zoo a couple of years ago. They were dressed as if they were going on a safari.

Today was class color day. Alyssa’s class color is red. She was decked out in red head (literally, considering her hair) to toe.

O’s class color is purple. She wore a bunch of purple.

I like these kinds of weeks. I like getting the girls excited about going to school, even if is about the fashion. It makes them want to get up in the morning and get ready.

We’ve had a few talks with O about her behavior and…we’re working on it. Her teacher and I have communicated and we’re trying to be consistent so O understands what is expected of her both at home and at school.

I want her to have fun but I also want her to understand that she has to work when she’s at school.

We attended a little program at the school last night that had a few wild birds, a monkey, some sort of wild cat and a couple of alligators. There was also a snake.

The kids could get their picture taken with the snake for $5. They could also pet the alligators for another $5. Since I’d already paid $5 for each of us to get into the program, we skipped the photos and the petting.

Alyssa was okay with that. She wants to be brave but she also knows her own limits and she had no desire whatsoever to stand near that boa constrictor and let it rest on her shoulders for even five seconds while a picture was snapped.

I think she is sort of in awe of the friends that do these things. The snake pictures were taken during intermission and A watched her friend S stand in line for a good ten minutes for her three seconds with the snake. A stood and watched the entire time, awed by the fact that S was going to touch a snake!

I try not to stress over my girls’ shyness. Yes, I worry if it seems to be disrupting their education (I’m not going to name names but this one’s name starts with an O and ends in livia.) but if it means they stand near my during a program instead of running around like a crazy person with their classmates?

I call that a win for me.

I know that Alyssa will outgrow her shyness. I did. By my senior year of high school, I was in two school plays, I’d been the drum major of the marching band for three years (this one time at band camp…) and I had a solid group of very good friends.

Alyssa will come into her own. No amount of pushing from me is going to make it happen faster or make the transition easier for her. I just listen and watch and sometimes, gently nudge if I think she’s on the edge of discovering some amazing interest or talent.

It’s what we do, we parents who adore our kids, quirks and all.