I must admit it has been a difficult summer for my family.
We tried to move, but will be remaining here. Maintaining the house is more involved than we'd like. We are unpacking boxes even though we did not move. However, we were able to simplify things, thin out many things in our home, and make some adjustments that are quite positive.
We tried a new gifted summer school program, and found that the teacher of M's favorite subjects is . . . not acceptable to us as a teacher.
We tried to schedule more playdates and agreed to drive more often in order to facilitate socialization for M. One set of weekly playdates we attended not once. Two other families we wanted to see weekly or as often as possible, we have seen about four times total. That's not each family four times, but four times total between the two families.
However, we have been more successful in planning social opportunities with families that live closer to our current location, as opposed to years past. We also met a few other families in this area that we plan or hope to see more often. One of those we will see again this coming weekend, and it is a delight to have them in our lives. Also, I have personally been more successful in making plans with friends and getting adult conversation more often than in the past.
We hoped to be closer to the Fall activities we will be involved in. However, we were able to put those things close together in order to minimize driving.
Fall allergies have hit, and in our home this makes interactions more strained all around. Combine that with the disappointments of the summer, and I am feeling quite a bit of trepidation. M is usually a very agreeable, happy person. However, she has been argumentative, stubborn, and downright rude. I have been grumpy, unmotivated, and feeling under appreciated as a reluctant homeschooler.
As I hear it, most children are argumentative. In the case of highly gifted children, it's like an intense negotiation. When they have intensities, the revelation that they are the child and do not get a vote in every decision doesn't always end the tension.
I know I am not alone in this, and had the pleasure of exactly one bright spot in my day today of visiting with a homeschool friend who is one of those people I intensely like even though I have not known her long. As we were chatting, I witnessed that she has similar situations in her home, and just knowing that I am not alone is helpful. In a strange way, knowing that we have similar challenges, and hearing her insightful perspective on those interactions - how they help her understand the perspective of her children and how they are different from her own - helped neutralize the emotion that was running rampant within me even before lunch today.
I must hope that the new structure will be helpful to all. I will continue to meet with a dear friend and plan menus and exercise, as well as trying to implement a new approach at home that is intended to take the stress out of the mother-daughter relationship. If you pray, I'd appreciate your prayers. I will also need to dedicate myself to more frequent exercise for the sake of all.
Hope your summer is ending with lots of fun, and that your Fall is full of things that you are pleasantly anticipating.
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