Raising a 2e child, like raising any child is both a joy and a struggle. I don’t often talk about the struggle, because I find myself focusing on the positive as much as possible – it makes for a happier me. But the struggle is there, it is real, and it is mixed in with all the rest in a crazy-quilt jumble. So I thought I might walk you through a typical week in our house. This week.
- C finished 5th grade maths after lots of hard work at the computer – over 230 problems and countless hours with his tutor, DH and myself.
- J completed a 28-piece puzzle for the first time. ‘Yay – I did dit.’
- C tried using his floppy-boy tactics to get out of physiotherapy.
- J spent a worrisome 24 hours being lethargic – ‘She’s sitting still, and sleeping…something’s wrong.’ A quick emergency GP visit and it’s confirmed as an unspecified viral throat infection, gone almost before the doctor could see it. Toddlers…
- C finished the first week of an online university course on chemistry – pulling a credit average ( He skipped all the algebra and linear algebra questions, and was silly enough to listen to my advice on some questions).
- J spent her time riling her brother up by constantly opening the toilet door when the poor boy was inside.
- I spent an awful lot of time filtering out the high-pitched screeches of my son as he showed his displeasure with the world and particularly his sister’s possession of the computer mouse and almost anything else. Think ring-wraiths.
- C had fun running around at Karate – real white belt training, and didn’t get a stripe. But he could almost keep up with the other kids when running…which is a huge victory.
- J sang more Iggle piggle and Upsy Daisy songs than sanity would allow.
- I gave my foot a good airing and blood-letting when I tripped over yet another child-toy-creation-thing.
- C chewed through yet another range of small toys and pencils without noticing.
- We all spent too much time looking for J’s special Iggle Piggle blanket.
- Everyone lined up to do our nightly leg-stretches in the hallway – physiotherapy family style!
- We had conversations with C and J on why paper puzzles weren’t weight-bearing.
- DH and C had their usual conversations about putting on C’s night leg-casts – the uncomfortable necessary stretching and velcroing in of C’s legs. C really hates those things. I don’t blame him, they’re uncomfortable and trigger his SPD ‘too sensitive’ response.
- J learned a new word – ‘mooly-tule’, while playing with molymods. ‘Dat a mooly-tule’.
- C goofed off at his OT appointment, demonstrating his unerring ability to throw his legendary concentration abilities out the window at the least opportune moment.
- J insisted that piles of puzzles all over the floor could not be put away. I think it got to well over ten before I used parent-privilege and insisted it had to be packed away. Now it’s one or two at a time.
- C managed to completely avoid any handwriting practice, again. It’s hard to make a wrist move when it’s in liquid-form.
- C and J did dozens of wonderful paintings.
- DH and I did our polite dance around who had the joyless task of rinsing out the poo-coated cloth nappies this week.
- C built a bat out of toilet-rolls, sticky-tape and old lids. They both loved hitting balls down the hallway.
- Too much Mythbusters and ‘In the Night Garden’ were watched to escape the heat.
- C and I built a Lego bookcase for real books.
- C and J played ’roundies’ and ‘race’ and ‘bedtime’.
- Lots of hugs. Lots of tears. Lots of laughs. Lots of smiles.
And that’s a typical week.
How was your week this week? What struggles do you find hard? What brings you joy on this parenting journey?