Almost done

We are nearly completed with the second to last week of therapy. I can't wait until it's done.

The current state of affairs is that Firstborn is having a relatively hard time breaking into the rhythm and schedule of his new school, he is somewhat low energy and we had to drop tae-kwon-do. Overall, not good.

I will admit that his energy level is above what it was last spring, but it still isn't high enough for him to get done what he wants to get done.

I stuck out TKD all summer in hopes that the new school would bring up his spirits and he would begin loving it like he did when we started, but alas, it's not to be. Every announcement of It's time to get your uniform on was greeted with complaints and cries. When I talked to him about his desire to do this, he avowed that TKD was his dream. He wanted to get to black belt by a certain time. He wants to compete in tournaments. But he doesn't want to do the work. He doesn't want to give up playing with NextDoor Neighbor Boy to go to class, and who can blame him?

So, I decided it was not worth the fight. Maybe if he doesn't have the class, it will become more important to him. I'm treating this as a temporary hiatus until I get more feedback. So I didn't make a big announcement to him. I just stopped bringing him (and little brother who's been giving me just as much grief). Neither of the boys have even asked about Karate. Of course, there are times when the school is closed for a few days at a time. So, I'm expecting the question in a few days. But the plan is to just let him get used to the school schedule and homework. When he can handle more in his life, we will re-add Karate.

After next week, when his listening is over, we will see if that lifts another load off his shoulders. Seems the resistance to extra curricular activities came about at the same time as the therapy began. Coincidence? I won't know until we are done.

Following complex directions

One area where I think we have actually backslid is following complex directions. Witness a conversation of this morning:

Firstborn: Mom? Is this a school day?
Mom: Yes, it is. And there are clean clothes in the basket here (pointing to the basket of folded clothes).
Firstborn returns to his room and then comes back to mom's room again.
I don't have any underwear, socks or shirts.
Mom: They're in the basket, here. (pointing again to the basket.) And there are socks in the basket in the livingroom.

Later, that day, DH says to me: Firstborn has no socks. I walk into the livingroom and take a pair of socks out of the basket that is sitting practically next to him, hand them to him and say:
Socks. In the basket I told you they were in.
Firstborn: Oh. Laughing. I guess I didn't hear.

Now, it was my plan to give him complex directions as often as I could think of them this summer to work on this skill. However, it seems like every interaction with him was difficult and required much reminding.

So, I guess we are not making much headway in complex verbal directions. We'll keep an eye on this.