Conferencing

Terry and I had Wyatt's first parent teacher conference the other day.  I wasn't nervous.  Just apprehensive, I guess.  I know Wyatt is very smart.  His vocabulary is amazing and he makes quick connections.  I know he is a good kid.  They have told me about one incident when he got angry and pushed a little girl on the playground.  They said he admitted to it immediately and then was crying and so upset about it that they felt bad punishing him.  He was punishing himself far worse then their time out would.  I know he flaps his arms, jumps and rubs his hands when he gets excited but only when he gets excited.  It is like his excitement cannot be contained and spills out through his entire body. I know he can't pronounce certain words.  But others like carburetor, amphibious, frustrated or sea anemone, he can say perfectly and in context.  I know he sometimes has trouble concentrating on things he doesn't want to do.  He can sit for hours, explicitly following Lego directions, but has trouble sitting still while eating dinner for 5 minutes.

I know all of these things about my son but my worst fear was they were going to tell me something I didn't know.  Something that I wasn't aware of.  Something that I didn't know to look for or be concerned about.  His inability to pronounce L's is endearing, not concerning.  His attention span is classic 4 year old boy, nothing to worry about.  His flapping makes me want to hug the child till he pukes, not an early sign of something bigger.  His excitement around other kids is because he is an only child, not because he is anti-social.

I love Wyatt's teachers.  I respect them.  They are with Wyatt 9 hours a week.  I value their opinion.  I appreciate that they have more experience with younger kids then I do.  But it is also hard to hear someone else talk about your kid.

Most of what they said was positive.  No surprises.  They did mention a few things that I was concerned about myself.  They think his L's will mature with time.  And his stammer, when he is trying to find the right word, is from excitement and nothing more.  He could use with some more interaction with other kids, but I know that.  Hence the two story-times, soccer, YMCA class, and of course the East Ave summer camp that will be starting shortly. We will keep working on his letters and numbers, his penmanship, his concentration.  But they were quick to remind me that even as adults things that interest us hold our attention for longer.  Basically, they confirmed what I already knew; that Wyatt is a pretty amazing kid and I couldn't be prouder.