Kids are Awesome: Smooth Operator
Soooo yesterday was my first full day of work and it was a long and tiring affair. I'm not used to getting up that early so I slept for crap, and I'm definitely not used to the physical demands of retail (haven't been on my feet all day for a job in like a decade), so I was trudging home feeling very wiped out. And as I reached the corner of my block I spotted the kids on the sidewalk in front of the house, literally jumping up and down and cheering for my return.
I totally cried.
Then I came inside to find that the Bean had cleaned and vacuumed the living room and set the table for dinner. Entirely on his own initiative. So I came within inches of crying again, and posted on FB about how wonderful he was.
After dinner, I said I was going to go into the living room and lie on the couch with a cup of coffee, and the Bean offered to heat up the coffee and bring it into me. At that point, in between wanting to cry again, a little alarm pinged in the back of my head, and when he brought in the coffee going, "Here, Mama, you just rest and enjoy your coffee", I asked, "Did you get in trouble at school?"
To his credit, he didn't try to dissemble when called out, just immediately responded, "Yes."
I was too amused to even be particularly mad at him; this was the most awesome and hilarious kiss-up endeavor ever. Turns out it wasn't even a big deal, he just got some disapproving words from the teacher for talking in class, which happens at least a couple of times a month. But man, what a smooth operator. Now we just have to harness his powers for good.
Also, he had his first violin recital (since we moved) on Saturday and it went AMAZING. I had been a little worried for him, actually, because the school where he's been taking lessons, while it takes all ability levels, definitely has a few freakish prodigy students who are playing at near-professional levels, and I was afraid we'd get stuck at a recital with some of those students and Bean would end up feeling shitty about his own talented-but-not-prodigy abilities. But they actually grouped him in with a lot of other similarly-skilled students, which I really really appreciated. And the school director had very high praise for him. And his baseball season just ended and Friday's his last day of school and holy crap he's so BIG. He's this giant person with person thoughts and person activities and it's just so overwhelming, and so amazing, and it's such a privilege to have him as a kid.
I close with his deep, deep thought from the other day: "Hey mom, do you ever just spend time thinking about our bodies, and how weird it is that they work when they're so complicated?" Allllll the time, kid. Allll the time.
I totally cried.
Then I came inside to find that the Bean had cleaned and vacuumed the living room and set the table for dinner. Entirely on his own initiative. So I came within inches of crying again, and posted on FB about how wonderful he was.
After dinner, I said I was going to go into the living room and lie on the couch with a cup of coffee, and the Bean offered to heat up the coffee and bring it into me. At that point, in between wanting to cry again, a little alarm pinged in the back of my head, and when he brought in the coffee going, "Here, Mama, you just rest and enjoy your coffee", I asked, "Did you get in trouble at school?"
To his credit, he didn't try to dissemble when called out, just immediately responded, "Yes."
I was too amused to even be particularly mad at him; this was the most awesome and hilarious kiss-up endeavor ever. Turns out it wasn't even a big deal, he just got some disapproving words from the teacher for talking in class, which happens at least a couple of times a month. But man, what a smooth operator. Now we just have to harness his powers for good.
Also, he had his first violin recital (since we moved) on Saturday and it went AMAZING. I had been a little worried for him, actually, because the school where he's been taking lessons, while it takes all ability levels, definitely has a few freakish prodigy students who are playing at near-professional levels, and I was afraid we'd get stuck at a recital with some of those students and Bean would end up feeling shitty about his own talented-but-not-prodigy abilities. But they actually grouped him in with a lot of other similarly-skilled students, which I really really appreciated. And the school director had very high praise for him. And his baseball season just ended and Friday's his last day of school and holy crap he's so BIG. He's this giant person with person thoughts and person activities and it's just so overwhelming, and so amazing, and it's such a privilege to have him as a kid.
I close with his deep, deep thought from the other day: "Hey mom, do you ever just spend time thinking about our bodies, and how weird it is that they work when they're so complicated?" Allllll the time, kid. Allll the time.