Struggles

Kindergarten is hard.

I mean, it's hard for me, I struggle with remembering what day is Pajama Day and what day you're supposed to bring a family photo (that we don't possess) and to remember to go over your homework in the 1.25 hours we have together each evening.

But I mostly meant that it is hard for you. You are improving at making transitions without sulking, though it's still an issue, and getting better at playing with more than that one kid. (For a while there you refused to play with anybody other than your Chosen One, and threw an unholy fit if you were seated next to someone else. I'm sure the kindergarten teacher with a full class of 24 kids super duper appreciated having to finangle your seat next to That Kid every day just to prevent the screaming.) You acquire french words at an alarming rate. You seem to have fun, most days.

You also hate printing and hate drawing, you won't wear a nametag. You daaaaaaawwwwwwddddllle.

(Sweet mother of all that is wonderful, do you dawdle. You dawdle so much that you've missed the bus, when you are only 1 of 2 kids that the bus picks up.)

The printing thing is a bit of a concern, as your teacher seems to think it will affect assessment of your fine motor skills. Not that your fine motor skills are lacking - anybody who has seen you put together a lego set can attest to that - but the assessment of your fine motor skills is what tags along in your file. The dreaded elementary school File. So unless we want a big red stamp of DELAYED over that section of your File, we have to encourage you in this area.

Encouraging you in any area is just an exercise in frustration. I have never really mastered the skill of making you think something is your own idea. I want you to understand that, look, just print your name a few times and we'll call it good for the day. Just humor me with that, and everybody's life now and in the future will be a lot easier, and we can move on to something else.

Instead you insist that your name is actually Sparky* so you should be learning to print that, and we get about 3 letters in before you decide that you'll print the letters but not in order. Then you'll deliberately write down the wrong letter and giggle, and I will grind my teeth and bribe you with something, because after all learning is supposed to be a positive experience. Not one in which your mother loses her shit and threatens to take all your toys away.

Okay, so it is hard for me too.

I'm sure Grade 1 will just be twice as much fun.

*The reason your name is Sparky is because you're a dragon. Except for when you are Optimus Prime. You wear costumes to daycare as often as you possibly can (we tell you they're dirty a lot) and when you can't, you whine and say "you don't want anybody to see you like this" and "you don't like looking like Xander".

I wish I could just decide to be someone else each day, too.