Change

I am using this as a starting point for reflection.

1. My older son has a work experience week next June. So we have been discussing ideas. I approached one local company on his behalf. The answer was no, but I'm glad I asked them. Then my son had a second idea, I approached them with an email, and lo and behold, the answer is yes. I am over the moon. We need to do a careful follow up to confirm things with them and with my son's school, so everyone knows what the position is.

What a change that is, thinking about the world of adults, work and business.

2. My younger son astounded me 2 nights ago by asking to do some maths right there and then. I zipped down stairs to my maths HE shelf, took the appropriate year book plus an exercise book I had free, then whizzed back. We looked at the contents page, saw how clearly it was laid out and my son asked me to just say things when he asked, and asked me to do the writing, so I did.

Come the morning he told me he wants to do Maths O level and A level. So my next project is finding a kind maths tutor and finding out about the Maths sessions at the closest Montessori secondary school to us. The book I have is ideal though and I have the next book up too.

3. My last change has been about the old debate on age ratings. This one just won't go away. However time is on my side, on all our sides, because the children are moving inexorably towards magic 18 anyway. The change was that I used the phrase 'trust the process' with reference to my own growing slackness as a parent.

As they get older I will worry less about obeying the strict rules and will be more of a push over, but pushing me to be like this just makes me jam in my toes! So I am advising my younger son in all seriousness to back off and let me get more relaxed as a parent in my own time. He has, so I think he can recognise a universal truth when he sees one!

B is for Birthday

My son H doesn't like his biological birthday, so a couple of years ago he appointed 12th October as his official birthday. This took some getting used to. I was worried that come his bio birthday he would be unhappy at not getting a present from me. Anyway we managed to divide up into the people who agreed to go along with it and those like me who preferred to give a present on the anniversary of his birth.

This time I was more content with the idea and while he was asleep went into his room to attach a big Happy Birthday banner right across the walls. I made a little heap of presents and cards too.

When I woke him in the morning he smiled the largest smile ever, a wonderful beam of joy and surprise on seeing the banner.