Due to O’s dentist appointment yesterday, I had the day off. I could have taken half a day off and gone to work at noon but why bother, right?
When Olivia and I got home from her dentist appointment (after making a stop at Walmart because who goes anywhere without stopping there to pick up something? We needed bread, tissues and I’d promised O we could get her some Valentines for her school party. That promise got her over her weepiness caused by the x-rays.) it was time for her snack.
Apparently she and Tom have a pretty strict schedule each weekday. O eats breakfast with Alyssa between 6:50 and 7:10. At 9:30, it’s time for morning snack. At 10:30, it’s time to try to poop. At 11:00, it’s time for lunch. At 11:30 Olivia changes out of her morning clothes and into her school clothes. At 11:45, she puts on her coat and hat and backpack and by 11:50 they are watching for the bus.
We didn’t actually get home from the dentist/Walmart until 10:30 so the schedule was off but O really wanted her morning snack of toast with banana and berries. So I made the toast, sliced the banana and put some berries in a bowl.
I was then informed by Tom and Olivia that morning snack is eaten in the living room while rocking in the recliner.
Okay. We settled. Tom pulled a chair up and supervised. I know. Whatever.
Snack only took about ten minutes so Olivia decided she’d try to poop.
She only sat on the toilet for about five minutes before declaring she didn’t have to go and climbing down and telling me that maybe I could just feed her lunch. That morning snack had just stoked her appetite.
So lunch it was. After I fed her, I asked Olivia what she and Daddy usually do and she suggested we go back to the recliner and rock. And then she suggested I tickle her. That lasted a half hour until it was time to put on shoes and coat and wait for the bus. Except, she didn’t want to ride the bus that day. Since I was there, she thought it would be just fabulous if I drove her to school. Which, okay. It’s only four miles and I wasn’t doing anything else, right?
So one we saw the bus coming down the road, Olivia and I loaded up and headed toward the school. I walked her in where she was greeted by the teacher’s aide that works in her class. Olivia lead me to her classroom and showed me where she hangs her coat (for the record, I have been in her class before and know these things but I love it that she wants to show this stuff off) and where she puts her folder. Then she noticed the ingredients for the pancake party the class was having. That took her mind off the fact that I had to leave. She was so excited about pancakes at school.
So I left her classroom and stopped in the office to let them know that the girls needed to get off the bus at home.
After leaving the school, I wondered what I should do with my three hours of kid-free time. I never have kid-free time unless I’m at work and here I was with three whole hours before the girls would be home.
I decided to stop in at the library and enjoy a chance to browse the shelves instead of having to monitor two energetic kids who like to wander in and out of the stacks. I spent a lovely half hour at the library, all by myself, surrounded by strangers who didn’t need me to take them to the bathroom or hold their coat or come see this or that.
I went home and considered taking a nap but then decided to do some laundry. I thought about vacuuming the living room and family room but decided they could wait until the weekend.
I ate a grapefruit and watched the clock, waiting for it to be time to go outside and greet the bus and the two smiling little girls who would climb off it.
I watched a snippet from General Hospital and Days of Our Lives. Those shows never really change, do they?
Oh and I put some dishes away.
Finally, it was time for the girls to come home.
As much as I lament my lack of down time, it appears I’m not all that good at using it to my advantage.
A mom, a dad and two daughters. We're living ordinary lives with a twist of 5p- (Cri du Chat) for spice. But we're about so much more than our younger daughter's genetic diagnosis.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Parallels
Olivia had a dentist appointment this morning. We had to be there at 7:45 which meant we left home at 6:45 to drive to Fort Wayne to the appointment. As we drove away into the dense fog, Olivia and I waved to Tom and Alyssa, who were standing at the front window, waving back at us.
A few miles down the road, O asked me, "Did Lyssie have her tonsils out one time?"
I told her yes, Alyssa had her tonsils out a few months ago.
She then asked, "Did I stay with Daddy while you and Lyssie drove to get her tonsils out?"
Again, I agreed with her memory.
She paused a few more minutes and then said with a smile, "This time, Lyssie had to stay with Daddy while you take me to the dentist, right?"
She understood the parallel in the two situations. One time, she stayed with Daddy while I took Lyssie to a doctor and this time, Lyssie stayed with Daddy while I took Olivia to an appointment.
She declared that she liked spending time with me. I returned the sentiment.
Olivia had her tough days but the days when she makes those connections, when she shows deep thinking and comprehension, I couldn't be prouder of her. She works damn hard to do the things she does and I think there is no limit to what she might accomplish if she puts her mind to it.
The dentist though...that was sort of a rough appointment. And this was just the first meeting as a new patient at the pediatric dentist where she'll go back next week for actual work.
The x-rays were what were hard for her. She hated the feel of the thing you have to bite on in her mouth. I held her on my lap while the dentist held the thing in her mouth and the assistant took the image. Olivia wailed. Poor baby.
I will say, though, that x-rays aside, I really liked this dentists and everyone in his practice. The first thing he said when he came into the room was, "She's got a complex medical history, doesn't she?"
Which...yes. Yes she does.
And then he went on to ask questions that told me he'd done his own bit of research. He asked me if she'd had a scan of her heart. When I replied that she had when she was two years old and that it was perfect, he nodded, pleased with my response and then asked about her kidneys. Again, I was able to tell him we'd had an ultrasound on her kidneys when she was four. They're perfect too.
He didn't ask but I told him we'd even had an MRI of her brain when she was nine months old and received the verdict that it was lovely as well.
He asked if she was potty trained, more evidence that he'd read up even a little on 5p-. I can't tell you how nice it is to meet a medical professional who does his research.
After he counted her teeth and told Olivia how pretty they were, he showed me that she has a loose bottom tooth and that she needs some work on a permanent molar that is coming with a small defect, just something that could catch food and lead to decay. We'll seal that and another tiny cavity next Wednesday.
It'll be rough on Olivia but I know she needs to have it done and we'll get through it. The dentist prescribed a mild sedative to help her relax. And she's older this time than the last time she got some dental work. She might not understand completely but we can explain it as much as possible and get her through it.
A few miles down the road, O asked me, "Did Lyssie have her tonsils out one time?"
I told her yes, Alyssa had her tonsils out a few months ago.
She then asked, "Did I stay with Daddy while you and Lyssie drove to get her tonsils out?"
Again, I agreed with her memory.
She paused a few more minutes and then said with a smile, "This time, Lyssie had to stay with Daddy while you take me to the dentist, right?"
She understood the parallel in the two situations. One time, she stayed with Daddy while I took Lyssie to a doctor and this time, Lyssie stayed with Daddy while I took Olivia to an appointment.
She declared that she liked spending time with me. I returned the sentiment.
Olivia had her tough days but the days when she makes those connections, when she shows deep thinking and comprehension, I couldn't be prouder of her. She works damn hard to do the things she does and I think there is no limit to what she might accomplish if she puts her mind to it.
The dentist though...that was sort of a rough appointment. And this was just the first meeting as a new patient at the pediatric dentist where she'll go back next week for actual work.
The x-rays were what were hard for her. She hated the feel of the thing you have to bite on in her mouth. I held her on my lap while the dentist held the thing in her mouth and the assistant took the image. Olivia wailed. Poor baby.
I will say, though, that x-rays aside, I really liked this dentists and everyone in his practice. The first thing he said when he came into the room was, "She's got a complex medical history, doesn't she?"
Which...yes. Yes she does.
And then he went on to ask questions that told me he'd done his own bit of research. He asked me if she'd had a scan of her heart. When I replied that she had when she was two years old and that it was perfect, he nodded, pleased with my response and then asked about her kidneys. Again, I was able to tell him we'd had an ultrasound on her kidneys when she was four. They're perfect too.
He didn't ask but I told him we'd even had an MRI of her brain when she was nine months old and received the verdict that it was lovely as well.
He asked if she was potty trained, more evidence that he'd read up even a little on 5p-. I can't tell you how nice it is to meet a medical professional who does his research.
After he counted her teeth and told Olivia how pretty they were, he showed me that she has a loose bottom tooth and that she needs some work on a permanent molar that is coming with a small defect, just something that could catch food and lead to decay. We'll seal that and another tiny cavity next Wednesday.
It'll be rough on Olivia but I know she needs to have it done and we'll get through it. The dentist prescribed a mild sedative to help her relax. And she's older this time than the last time she got some dental work. She might not understand completely but we can explain it as much as possible and get her through it.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Popularity
Alyssa loves to hear the story about how Tom and I chose her name. She loves her name (I’m so glad for this, as a child I wasn’t all that enamored of my own, I’ve grown to liked it well enough but at ten? Not so much.) and has asked countless times for me to tell the story of how we came up with it.
So I tell her the story of how her dad was working third shift and would come home during his lunch, at around 2am each night. He’d come up and lay with me, often putting his head on my stomach. Alyssa always laughs when I tell her that she vigorously protested this position, often kicking him in the head.
One such night, about five months into the pregnancy, Tom asked me what I thought of the name Alyssa. I muttered sleepily that it was on my list. As far as he was concerned, that sealed the deal and Alyssa was her name from that point on.
When I agreed to the name Alyssa, I had no idea it was as popular as it was. I’d never met an Alyssa. The only time I’d ever heard it was when anyone referred to the actress who played Tony Danza’s daughter on Who’s the Boss? Yes, I suppose one could infer that we’d named our daughter after Alyssa Milano. Whatever.
So after Alyssa was born, imagine my surprise when I heard that one of my brother’s friends had a daughter a few years older named Alyssa. And then, suddenly my brother was dating an Alyssa (she later became my nephew’s mother.)
And! Yes, there’s an and. And, when Alyssa was eighteen months old, my cousin and his wife were expecting a daughter. My cousin told me that Alyssa was the only name in the whole wide world that his wife liked.
So yes, they named their daughter Alyssa.
When it came time to name Olivia, I wanted to name her Anna. But Tom nixed that idea when he connected the name to his ex-wife’s name. He didn’t want there to be any way for her to even imagine we’d named our child after her. So Anna was out.
I suggested Olivia during the sixth month of my pregnancy. Tom loved it. We went with it. This time, though, I was well aware of the popularity of this name. And I decided it didn’t bother me. I’d lived through a popularity surprise with Alyssa and it was fine. It ended up not being a big deal.
Expecting to meet other Olivias (or Alyvias, which, ugh! Seriously? It’s not even the same freaking name!) meant that I wasn’t bothered when it did happen.
As it’s turned out, we still know more girls/women named Alyssa than we do girls/women named Olivia. Just goes to show what I know about popularity.
Oh and for the record, Olivia was no more named after Olivia Newton-John that Alyssa was named after Alyssa Milano, no matter what my cousin Chet thinks.
So I tell her the story of how her dad was working third shift and would come home during his lunch, at around 2am each night. He’d come up and lay with me, often putting his head on my stomach. Alyssa always laughs when I tell her that she vigorously protested this position, often kicking him in the head.
One such night, about five months into the pregnancy, Tom asked me what I thought of the name Alyssa. I muttered sleepily that it was on my list. As far as he was concerned, that sealed the deal and Alyssa was her name from that point on.
When I agreed to the name Alyssa, I had no idea it was as popular as it was. I’d never met an Alyssa. The only time I’d ever heard it was when anyone referred to the actress who played Tony Danza’s daughter on Who’s the Boss? Yes, I suppose one could infer that we’d named our daughter after Alyssa Milano. Whatever.
So after Alyssa was born, imagine my surprise when I heard that one of my brother’s friends had a daughter a few years older named Alyssa. And then, suddenly my brother was dating an Alyssa (she later became my nephew’s mother.)
And! Yes, there’s an and. And, when Alyssa was eighteen months old, my cousin and his wife were expecting a daughter. My cousin told me that Alyssa was the only name in the whole wide world that his wife liked.
So yes, they named their daughter Alyssa.
When it came time to name Olivia, I wanted to name her Anna. But Tom nixed that idea when he connected the name to his ex-wife’s name. He didn’t want there to be any way for her to even imagine we’d named our child after her. So Anna was out.
I suggested Olivia during the sixth month of my pregnancy. Tom loved it. We went with it. This time, though, I was well aware of the popularity of this name. And I decided it didn’t bother me. I’d lived through a popularity surprise with Alyssa and it was fine. It ended up not being a big deal.
Expecting to meet other Olivias (or Alyvias, which, ugh! Seriously? It’s not even the same freaking name!) meant that I wasn’t bothered when it did happen.
As it’s turned out, we still know more girls/women named Alyssa than we do girls/women named Olivia. Just goes to show what I know about popularity.
Oh and for the record, Olivia was no more named after Olivia Newton-John that Alyssa was named after Alyssa Milano, no matter what my cousin Chet thinks.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Connected
My cousin and I were talking over the weekend about how we feel about being done having kids. She mourns leaving baby-making behind. She grieves the loss of more babies. She misses the infant stage so much it brings her to tears. Her kids are 13 and 18, for the record.
She said she misses the bond most of all. That bond that an infant has with his mother. The fact that you, the mother are needed for just about everything, all the time.
I pointed to Olivia, who’d told me five times in the previous thirty seconds exactly what she was doing and where she was going.
I said, “I think I still have that bond.”
My cousin laughed and agreed. “You have the bond but more mobility. The best of both worlds.”
And she’s right. Olivia doesn’t need me to see to her physical needs the way she did even two years ago (Hello potty training, you are a wonder of wonders.) but she still needs me emotionally. She needs to know where I am, what I’m doing and how she can get to me anytime we’re in the same vicinity.
Alyssa, at ten, is much more independent, unless we’re in an unfamiliar setting, then she needs to be next to me until she figures out where she fits into the new environment. She wants to sleep in her own room these days, which is awesome. I’m proud of this independence, this self-reliance and I want this for her.
I do not miss the infant years. I have said before that the infant years are so, so hard. Even with a text book baby like Alyssa, that first year was incredibly hard. She fussed when she was supposed to, she slept fairly well, she was a good eater but it was just hard. I am truly glad I don’t have to go through another newborn/infant stage.
That said, I admitted to Amy that if circumstances had been different, it Tom and I had met when we were younger and if we’d have the financial capability for me to stay home with the kids, I might have tried to convince him to have a third baby.
But as it is, I have always felt like the two I have take everything in me that I have to give and I don’t know how I’d stretch myself to accommodate a third child. I realize, though, that we do what we have t do. Love is infinite, it grows and if a third child had happened, we’d have made it work.
Here’s to being in my forties, though and not having to worry about that sort of thing.
She said she misses the bond most of all. That bond that an infant has with his mother. The fact that you, the mother are needed for just about everything, all the time.
I pointed to Olivia, who’d told me five times in the previous thirty seconds exactly what she was doing and where she was going.
I said, “I think I still have that bond.”
My cousin laughed and agreed. “You have the bond but more mobility. The best of both worlds.”
And she’s right. Olivia doesn’t need me to see to her physical needs the way she did even two years ago (Hello potty training, you are a wonder of wonders.) but she still needs me emotionally. She needs to know where I am, what I’m doing and how she can get to me anytime we’re in the same vicinity.
Alyssa, at ten, is much more independent, unless we’re in an unfamiliar setting, then she needs to be next to me until she figures out where she fits into the new environment. She wants to sleep in her own room these days, which is awesome. I’m proud of this independence, this self-reliance and I want this for her.
I do not miss the infant years. I have said before that the infant years are so, so hard. Even with a text book baby like Alyssa, that first year was incredibly hard. She fussed when she was supposed to, she slept fairly well, she was a good eater but it was just hard. I am truly glad I don’t have to go through another newborn/infant stage.
That said, I admitted to Amy that if circumstances had been different, it Tom and I had met when we were younger and if we’d have the financial capability for me to stay home with the kids, I might have tried to convince him to have a third baby.
But as it is, I have always felt like the two I have take everything in me that I have to give and I don’t know how I’d stretch myself to accommodate a third child. I realize, though, that we do what we have t do. Love is infinite, it grows and if a third child had happened, we’d have made it work.
Here’s to being in my forties, though and not having to worry about that sort of thing.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Building Friendships
Once upon a time, I had a lot of friends. Elementary school, high school and college were all very conducive to building friendships. You were tossed together with a bunch of other people your own age and friendships formed. It was great.
My best friends these days are those I met in college. I don't see any of them more than a few times a year but we communicate via phone, email and yes, Facebook often enough that I feel like our friendships are still thriving.
But they aren't next door like they were once upon a time in college. I miss that. I miss being able to go to a movie with a girl friend, knowing there was someone down the hall/street I could call and go for a walk with.
Alyssa has a friend over today. She's a very, very nice girl. They're both being really good to Olivia, which is always nice.
Alyssa spent the night with this same friend a couple of weeks ago. When T's mom dropped Alyssa off, she mentioned she was attending a wedding this weekend in Toledo and I suggested that if she didn't already have someone to stay with T, that T come over here and stay.
She, T's mom, was so relieved by the offer.
I could see becoming actual friends with T's mom. Which is a nice feeling.
I do have a another friend I met during Alyssa's kindergarten year. B is a great woman with sweet little girls the same ages as A and O. We do hang out too but mostly when we're attending something that involves one or more of our girls.
And maybe that's it. Maybe at this point in my life, my friendships are going to center around my kids and their activities. That's okay. As long as there can be moments here and there where I feel like I'm Tommie, not just A's or O's mom.
My best friends these days are those I met in college. I don't see any of them more than a few times a year but we communicate via phone, email and yes, Facebook often enough that I feel like our friendships are still thriving.
But they aren't next door like they were once upon a time in college. I miss that. I miss being able to go to a movie with a girl friend, knowing there was someone down the hall/street I could call and go for a walk with.
Alyssa has a friend over today. She's a very, very nice girl. They're both being really good to Olivia, which is always nice.
Alyssa spent the night with this same friend a couple of weeks ago. When T's mom dropped Alyssa off, she mentioned she was attending a wedding this weekend in Toledo and I suggested that if she didn't already have someone to stay with T, that T come over here and stay.
She, T's mom, was so relieved by the offer.
I could see becoming actual friends with T's mom. Which is a nice feeling.
I do have a another friend I met during Alyssa's kindergarten year. B is a great woman with sweet little girls the same ages as A and O. We do hang out too but mostly when we're attending something that involves one or more of our girls.
And maybe that's it. Maybe at this point in my life, my friendships are going to center around my kids and their activities. That's okay. As long as there can be moments here and there where I feel like I'm Tommie, not just A's or O's mom.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Frown
Olivia came home with a note from school yesterday. It had a frown circled and beside it was a description of behavior that is not acceptable at school.
She refused to hang up her coat and backpack. Even after the teacher told her to do so several times. When the teacher went to ‘help’ her do this task, Olivia refused to walk with her and stuck her tongue out at her teacher repeatedly.
She ended up on the timeout chair.
This is not the Olivia we know at home. I don’t know what is going on. Maybe she’s more comfortable at school these days and is willing to push her boundaries but this is not the way to go about it.
I tried to ask her why she behaved this way and she just shrugged. I’m not sure she even understands what I’m asking. Which is part of what is so frustrating with a child like Olivia. She can be so verbal, appear so cognizant of what’s going on but then she pulls something like this and then can’t even explain why.
I don’t want to put words into her mouth so I hate to ask leading questions. Instead, I ask questions like, “What is happening at school that makes you feel like you should do something like that?”
At one point, she told me she was going to put her whole class in jail. I asked her why she’d want to do that and she replied, “Because they hate me.”
Oh. Oh my mommy’s heart just broke right there.
Except then she grinned and said, “But I’ll put my teacher in a princess castle instead.”
Why would she say her class hates her? Where is this coming from?
My mom suggested that Olivia might need to be homeschooled. Great, sure, no problem. Except, who is going to do the schooling? Me? I’m at work 40 hours a week, and that’s not including the half hour drive each way every day.
Then my mom pointed out that O’s currently in school all of three hours a day anyway, so I could work out a schooling schedule for the evenings and weekends.
Again, great plan, but who will care for her while I’m at work? Tom actually does work too. Yes, he works from home and so he’s able to care for her during the morning hours before sending her off to school but he needs those afternoon hours to get work done too. I know on the days the girls stay home with him, he struggles to get anything done. I understand that. I can’t get much done beyond a load of laundry or two while home with the little hooligans.
So…homeschooling probably isn’t the solution.
Quite honestly, I think Olivia needs the structure of school. She needs to learn what is appropriate behavior and what isn’t. And I have every confidence that she’s capable of learning this. I know she’s got it in her.
I just need to figure out what’s motivating these outbursts of naughtiness. She hasn’t been like this at home. She’s loving, obedient, playful.
I do wonder if she was trying to be playful instead of defiant and doesn’t yet know the difference.
I hope after the discussions I had with her last night, the ones Tom’s having with her today and the fact that she lost fingernail polish privileges for the next few days she understands that this is not funny, it’s not a game, it is not acceptable.
I guess we’ll see.
She refused to hang up her coat and backpack. Even after the teacher told her to do so several times. When the teacher went to ‘help’ her do this task, Olivia refused to walk with her and stuck her tongue out at her teacher repeatedly.
She ended up on the timeout chair.
This is not the Olivia we know at home. I don’t know what is going on. Maybe she’s more comfortable at school these days and is willing to push her boundaries but this is not the way to go about it.
I tried to ask her why she behaved this way and she just shrugged. I’m not sure she even understands what I’m asking. Which is part of what is so frustrating with a child like Olivia. She can be so verbal, appear so cognizant of what’s going on but then she pulls something like this and then can’t even explain why.
I don’t want to put words into her mouth so I hate to ask leading questions. Instead, I ask questions like, “What is happening at school that makes you feel like you should do something like that?”
At one point, she told me she was going to put her whole class in jail. I asked her why she’d want to do that and she replied, “Because they hate me.”
Oh. Oh my mommy’s heart just broke right there.
Except then she grinned and said, “But I’ll put my teacher in a princess castle instead.”
Why would she say her class hates her? Where is this coming from?
My mom suggested that Olivia might need to be homeschooled. Great, sure, no problem. Except, who is going to do the schooling? Me? I’m at work 40 hours a week, and that’s not including the half hour drive each way every day.
Then my mom pointed out that O’s currently in school all of three hours a day anyway, so I could work out a schooling schedule for the evenings and weekends.
Again, great plan, but who will care for her while I’m at work? Tom actually does work too. Yes, he works from home and so he’s able to care for her during the morning hours before sending her off to school but he needs those afternoon hours to get work done too. I know on the days the girls stay home with him, he struggles to get anything done. I understand that. I can’t get much done beyond a load of laundry or two while home with the little hooligans.
So…homeschooling probably isn’t the solution.
Quite honestly, I think Olivia needs the structure of school. She needs to learn what is appropriate behavior and what isn’t. And I have every confidence that she’s capable of learning this. I know she’s got it in her.
I just need to figure out what’s motivating these outbursts of naughtiness. She hasn’t been like this at home. She’s loving, obedient, playful.
I do wonder if she was trying to be playful instead of defiant and doesn’t yet know the difference.
I hope after the discussions I had with her last night, the ones Tom’s having with her today and the fact that she lost fingernail polish privileges for the next few days she understands that this is not funny, it’s not a game, it is not acceptable.
I guess we’ll see.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
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?
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?
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