Happy birthday, Liese! May it rock from here to Dogtown.
But the whole thing from elementary is part of why I won't be having kids. My spotty memories of what kids are like makes that thought appalling. All the truly delightful kids I've met as an adult haven't been able to change my knee-jerk horror at the thought of living with what my formative experiences of children convinced me they are—bullies or victims.
Have you read Ray Bradbury's short story "The Playground"? That's basically the premise. Very chilling story.
JZ's got Monday off, but as I've had Matilda all week (she's transitioning to a new class at preschool), she'll probably be taking Matilda off for some adventures to give me a break. This all-day, every day SAHD business is wearying.
Though yesterday, I took Mailda over to EM's house after I dropped Emmett off at school, and they played for a couple hours. After I got Emmett I brought him back and we all went to the pool, which was good.
Sara's having a really hard time, missing her friends from Fulton. But it made me remember that when I was her age, I didn't have any neighborhood friends -- until sometime in third grade, when we moved to NJ, I went to school, and came home and played with my brother. I don't remember minding, either, but I suppose I didn't know any better. We were in a pretty new development and I think most of the families were younger, with babies and toddlers.
calming is the goal, partially. I am working on a longish lj post about lots of mac stuff. I feel like I have earned a minor in both child psychology and education, and now am working on one in developmental therapy.
Yesterday's activities between homework assignments were: 1 - mac got chewing gum, then I played with him with the pokemon figures(this is story play where they are families and the kids go to school and interact - it is learning familial and social skills), 2 - Played catch with a nerf softball and used our baseball gloves, 3 - pitched and hit to each other using nerf ball and bat, 4 - moon sand in a plastic bin, 5 - tossed frisbee (nylon fabric frisbee with foam outer ring), 6 - listened to music, 7 - dinner, 8 - tv show.
From Kat's therapy link, I want this so bad! [link]
Happy birthday, Liese!
Tiggy, that tattoo looks very nifty. I hope the tattooing process goes well for you.
David, I don't think I've read "The Playground." I did read "All in a Summer's Day," which struck me as accurate.
This weekend I'll be cleaning up my apartment after my upstairs neighbor's hot water heater died a gushy death. My landlords were great about shampooing the carpet and setting up fans, but I have a ton of laundry and the like to do,as the water ran onto my bed and into my bedroom closets. In rather more exciting news, my canceled flight lesson on Sunday has been uncanceled, so I'll be able to flip my water-logged mattress the bird and go spend a couple of hours practicing stalls. Whee!
People were mean to me, and I often felt awkward and left out, but I made a friend in first grade, and she made other friends, and those were my friends-- so I was not alone and friendless.
The one thing that sticks with me is one girl who was sort of my nemesis. In second grade she took me behind the school and bent my fingers back to make me say that I "liked" my friend Judy as more than a friend. Then, later in the middle school years, she would make fun of me by being really nice and complementary to me, and then laughing with her friends. I blame this for the fact that I never, ever, believe compliments.
