Seriously! He now doesn't want to be picked up before his kindergarten closes (and would stay longer if it was open longer), which I wouldn't have thought possible a few months ago. Julian will probably be able to go there - the management already knows him, after all - but it also means lots of additional costs, not to mention the additional driving. So I'm very much tempted to give the other local kindergarten a try. Except then we may not be able to get into the other kindergarten if it doesn't work out. Aaargh.
Felix can type already (his first attempts at writing were on my computer keyboard, I have to admit) and only taught himself to "draw" letters after that, so I'm not sure that typing hasn't contributed to the problem! Thing is, though, I suspect that as soon as Felix needs to write more and faster, he'll see the point of gripping the pen differently. (He does know how it works; he just is used to his "wrong" way, so he prefers that.) Currently, he doesn't need to write at all, and when he does write, he can take all the time he wants, so he just doesn't see any point in doing it differently. A lot of "trouble" with him boils down to him not seeing the point - once he understands and accepts the point, he tends to follow the rule 120%. So I really think this problem would solve itself, given the time and incentive. But the teachers feel that ergotherapy may speed things up. As Felix mostly enjoys it (there are some things he likes more than others, of course!), I'm OK with taking him there once a week. I'm not sure typing would be a solution, at any rate; for one, he already does that, and for two, schoolwork is still very much handwriting territory in Germany. There are virtually no keyboards in classrooms unless it is a special computer science class. So for the next 12-13 years, he'll just need to master efficient penmanship. (And I'm sure he will. I didn't learn gripping a pen correctly until I was almost 7. Admittedly, I couldn't write as fluently as Felix can until I was almost 7, either...)
Well, it figures that most parents at a Waldorf school will be Rudolf Steiner True Believers. But of course, those come in different flavours from "mostly reasonable" to "completely batshit"!
It's not fair at all! As the lantern-crafting daddies have shown, lots of boys can't wait for an excuse to get their hands on some glitter!
It helps an unfair lot, I can already see that. Everybody forgives Julian's tantrums because how can you stay mad with this pretty little fellow when he's smiling at you through his tears? He very cleverly uses "please" to get people to do what he wants, too. Even his own daddy. "But he asked so nicely!" Yes! Because he knows that nobody can resist the toddler who affects perfect manners! My brother was really good at that, too.
Heh, we'll see if I actually get to take any pictures! But I'll do my best! Thank you! *hugs back*
Felix can type already (his first attempts at writing were on my computer keyboard, I have to admit) and only taught himself to "draw" letters after that, so I'm not sure that typing hasn't contributed to the problem! Thing is, though, I suspect that as soon as Felix needs to write more and faster, he'll see the point of gripping the pen differently. (He does know how it works; he just is used to his "wrong" way, so he prefers that.) Currently, he doesn't need to write at all, and when he does write, he can take all the time he wants, so he just doesn't see any point in doing it differently. A lot of "trouble" with him boils down to him not seeing the point - once he understands and accepts the point, he tends to follow the rule 120%.
So I really think this problem would solve itself, given the time and incentive. But the teachers feel that ergotherapy may speed things up. As Felix mostly enjoys it (there are some things he likes more than others, of course!), I'm OK with taking him there once a week.
I'm not sure typing would be a solution, at any rate; for one, he already does that, and for two, schoolwork is still very much handwriting territory in Germany. There are virtually no keyboards in classrooms unless it is a special computer science class. So for the next 12-13 years, he'll just need to master efficient penmanship. (And I'm sure he will. I didn't learn gripping a pen correctly until I was almost 7. Admittedly, I couldn't write as fluently as Felix can until I was almost 7, either...)
Well, it figures that most parents at a Waldorf school will be Rudolf Steiner True Believers. But of course, those come in different flavours from "mostly reasonable" to "completely batshit"!
It's not fair at all! As the lantern-crafting daddies have shown, lots of boys can't wait for an excuse to get their hands on some glitter!
It helps an unfair lot, I can already see that. Everybody forgives Julian's tantrums because how can you stay mad with this pretty little fellow when he's smiling at you through his tears? He very cleverly uses "please" to get people to do what he wants, too. Even his own daddy. "But he asked so nicely!" Yes! Because he knows that nobody can resist the toddler who affects perfect manners! My brother was really good at that, too.
Heh, we'll see if I actually get to take any pictures! But I'll do my best! Thank you! *hugs back*
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