Oh Livie...

I got another email from O’s teacher again today. Apparently, O’s having a hard time concentrating in class. She said that they (the main teacher, the aide and the therapists) are only giving Olivia one or two step directions and Olivia isn’t able to follow them.

Ugh! This is so frustrating because this is not what we’re seeing at home.

Aren’t kids supposed to be way brattier at home than they are at school?

I can tell Olivia, “Go into the living room, pick up your socks and take them to the laundry basket by the stairs.”

And she’ll do it.

Yes, she often decides she doesn’t care if Tom tells her not to throw her napkin on the floor and will do it anyway but that has nothing to do with concentration and everything to do with pushing her dad’s buttons.

I don’t know what to do to make her work harder in school.

I replied to her teacher that we aren’t seeing behaviors like that at home and that I’m not sure what the problem is. I did tell her that I will be making an appointment for O with her developmental pediatrician for March, but that won’t help the immediate problem they’re having. I also mentioned that O does have a cold right now, but that doesn’t explain the last three weeks.

I so appreciate that we have teachers who are communicative and open to suggestion. I just wish I had some suggestions.

Olivia can be stubborn, she can get tired and just shut down and maybe that’s it. Maybe she’s tired but even if she is, I will be reminding her that when she’s at school she needs to listen to her teachers. I know how frustrating it can be to work with a child who just won’t listen. I don’t want O to get a reputation for being a difficult child. Oh wait, we might be too late for that. Sigh.

One day at a time, right?