Week 27

Joe has got back in to the swing of school this week with his first full week back. The school have assigned a key adult to support him this year, but we've also felt that he's gone back slightly more positive than he was last term. As I've said before, the summer holiday has done us all good and Joe just seems a little more settled at school, he's even being saying that he's had good days there and remembering details of some of the work he's been doing during the day.

We've noticed an immediate step up in work too, we've had three bits of home work this week, including a spelling test to revise for. Doing homework with him can be frustrating, but it's only going to keep coming so we need to learn to be teachers as well as parents.

Charlie has enjoyed his last week at home. Behaviour from both boys has been improved this last few weeks, Joe's tantrums which we had experienced for a short while over summer seem to have stopped, hopefully as a result of him having learnt that we don't respond to them. Charlie too has stopped having melt downs and has had very little time outs. Charlie's most annoying feature at the moment is the fact that he doesn't seem to understand when he needs to stop. He doesn't seem to respond to being told off and sometimes finds it funny, and it seems that if you tell him to stop doing something, you have to say it five times before he takes any action. I find this frustrating and inevitably end up raising my voice. I see lots of other parents who seem to be able to remain calm and measured and I sometimes wonder if I'm a bit rubbish, it concerns me that I don't seem to be able to maintain my calm when I need too, I sometimes even know I'm making the situation worse but don't seem to able to stop myself.

That being said, I do feel some vindication by the fact that other people notice just how full on he is. Don't get me wrong, he really is very sweet and I love him unconditionally, but he is excessively inquisitive, he has to open, touch or try everything and he asks why at least 500 times a day. Even the lady in Boots commented politely this week 'Gosh, he's very inquisitive isn't he?' and if that's spotted in a few short minutes, you can imagine what 12 hours a day does to one's mental balance!

Joe has been signed up to after school football and drum clubs this week, and so it begins! And this weekend we've labelled Charlie's new uniform ready for the big day tomorrow. He still seems so little, I think it could be an emotional morning for is all tomorrow!

Saturday I tried to give G the day off, and spent a lovely day with the boys, football for Joe, a trip to the park, and then a visit to the church late summer fair. In the evening I took some time off and did a shift of my voluntary job. I've spent many a late shift over the years, dealing predominantly with drunk teenagers, and have often chuckled to my self at the phone calls I've made to parents, asking them to come and collect their drunk son/daughter from our medical centre. This week though, I didn't feel smug. I saw the forlorn father arrive to collect his daughter, shocked at the state she was in, and my heart went out to him, and I couldn't help but think that I really don't think I will ever be ready for the teenage years, and all that they bring. I love tucking the boys up in bed every night, kissing them and 'blowing out the light' knowing that they are safe and cosy. I just pray I never have to answer that call from a smug medic, asking me to collect my vomiting child after a vodka binge!

Today we've spent the day at Nanny's, the boys enjoying their first Nanny Sunday lunch. And to round off a nice family weekend, we had a tea of crumpets and malt loaf, the only think missing from my own child hood Sunday tradition was the viewing of Songs of Praise.