Mid term reports are in

Hard to believe that much of the school year has passed, but it's true. The A-man brought his report card home yesterday, and he is doing very well. I am very proud of him, but most importantly - HE is very proud of himself.

Mid-term marks:

• Drama - 83%
• Geography - 75%
• Learning Strategies - 93%
• Science - 77%
• Overall average: 82%

The comments were all very good, and the learning skills were either in the "Excellent" or the "Good" range. Past years reports have all been either in the "Needs improvement" or "Satisfactory" range. Yes, going on to highschool has been very good for my big little-man.

Another thing that I equate to his new-found successes, and higher self-esteem, is the fact that we have been treating the ADHD. I have always been a little leery about the whole medication end of things, but sometimes we just have to let medication do what it's made to do. There was one morning the A-man was getting ready to leave for school, and I asked him if he'd taken his medication. He said, "Oh, no, I forgot. I have to make sure I do that - my friends have told me I am really annoying when I don't take it." We have noticed a huge difference in the way he acts, and reacts, and the good thing is he is no way in a 'zombie-over-medicated' state. (I have seen kids that way, and I would never allow either of my boys to get that way.)

The other morning - Thursday - I couldn't get the A-man moving, and guess what? He missed his bus. Yup. Monday the new rules are set, Tuesday he makes the bus, Wednesday the bus has to wait, and Thursday - misses it. As I was driving him in to school, we started to discuss what the 'payment' should be for his frequent morning-lateness. I started to explain to him the cost of a taxi from our house to school, the cost of gas for my car, the extra time for me to drive to his school and then back track to work...and then I just remembered something, and stopped talking. I asked him what he thought his payment system should be.

(See, I have to consciously remind myself to follow the "collaborative-method of problem solving" the doctors have recommended, so before I expressed what I thought the punishment should be, suddenly realized that I was starting to control the conversation - which is why I just stopped talking.) I had a bit of payment format in mind, and I was about to start dictating it to him - without his input - and I am glad I didn't go forward with it. His self-punishment was far greater than what I would have come up with! And, since he set the rates, he can't deem it 'unfair.'

Final outcome - for making the bus wait, half of his weekly allowance. For missing the bus - two full weeks allowance. He's up to the better part of $20 now... and when I told him the full amount for the current week, I could see his eyes just bug out of his head. Friday, he was up and ready for school before I was even out of bed!! We will see how this coming week fares...