No Alone Time for Leah Today

Both kids were up and yelling this morning before I was even fully dressed.

“Mama,” “Mama,” “Mama,” “Mama,” “Mama…” Oy.

I wish I could say I was always patient with my children. But that would be a lie. Sometimes they drive me crazy! Especially when they fight.

They compete with each other over everything: who is first, who has the most, etc. It’s a behavior Desmond passed down to Aislyn.

Desmond always has to win. It’s hard to play family games. He’s gotten much better about good sportsmanship at school, though, from what I understand.

I think it’s to be expected, that behavior is better at school. You’re in your comfort zone at home, with the people you know and trust the most, so you’re more apt to revert to your default states.

I guess I’d rather have them behaving better at school than the other way around.

When he was younger, Des had behaviors significant enough that we were worried we’d be getting calls in kindergarten. But we never did. I got one text from Mr. Romps about him acting out inappropriately after losing a game. But that was it. And he’s never been aggressive at school.

No, usually, we’re just concerned about whether or not he has friends. Especially after having been out of school so long. Is he out of practice socially?

Mrs. Kostis said sometimes he has trouble reigning in his “funny bone.” He does love to tell jokes. He has a sense of humor similar to his parents.

I think we will have fewer concerns with Aislyn in the social domain. But it’s hard to know for sure. Her day care teachers used to say she was quiet.

As long as neither of them are ever as quiet and inhibited as I was, I’ll be happy. It’s hard to know how much of my problem was environmental versus innate. But at least my kids have a more stable home environment than I did.

I got used to turbulence almost to the point at which a crisis state was my normal state.

It’s like that for too many kids.