Retail Therapy

Taking a break from the Leo stress.

But just to update a bit: there have been more developments (OK I obviously lied about the taking a break jazz).

The teacher answered my note yesterday inquiring if she'd seen a change in Leo's behavior with the news that yes, he seems to be more aggressive on the playground. Then she asked how he is at daycare. His 1:1 aide (she's there for an hour a day, from the time he gets off the bus through snack and homework time) wrote a note saying Leo has been less cooperative than he was previously [what, like last week?] and gives her trouble about going to bathroom. As an added bonus, he's been throwing toys (I felt like he stopped this two years ago. When did it start up again?)

Awesome.

The aide's final sentence was a stab through a mother's heart:

"Leo is a sweet boy, but I see a change in him."

Part of me is thinking, what the hell? That statement seems a little extreme. A change? Like in a matter of a week?

I'm tempted to check with the others at daycare, to see how Leo has been for them (it's occurred to me that this 1:1 aide might bug the you-know-what out of Leo and that's why he's resisting her). At the same time, I don't really want to borrow trouble with the daycare. If they felt the need to address Leo's behavior with me, they would, I'm sure of it. And yes, I'm the mom who's convinced that every note in Leo's cubby is a letter saying they just can't handle him anymore and we'll have to find another aftercare program for him. I live in constant fear of it, really. As my brilliant friend Amy once said "Isn’t it hard, to never feel like you can just be purely joyful? I always want to acknowledge my fears before someone else does."

What it is that Leo is struggling with (and therefore what we are struggling with)...Whatever it is, I don't know what it is.

How's that for profundity?

Is it a communication issue? Speech? Boredom? Frustration? On the one hand I feel like his speech is taking off. On the other hand, he's acting out. One mom I spoke with recently said she thinks when our kids advance in one area they sometimes regress in another. So, one step forward in speech, a step back towards bullying? I hope not.

His teacher is calling me this afternoon.

In the meantime, in an effort to completely change the subject:

I'm trying to be good. But I really want to get Ellie these.

If only real life was always as simple and cute as toddler boots.