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| Here is a tiny peek at a classic Mason temper tantrum. You may want to turn your volume down a bit.Notice how he makes good use of space and volume. |
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Creative temper tantruming
A hard lesson learned as Ballet class ends
It was two weeks ago that I ran in the Color Me Rad 5k. Because I had to leave for downtown at 7 am, Mike would be in charge of taking Mack to ballet. And since I wasn't home, he'd also be bringing Mason ( My mom offered to stay with Mason but it just worked out to be easier for Mike to take them both). It was obvious to Mike ( and Miss Nicole, the dance instructor) that Mackenzie was having a difficult time with out me. As Mason got restless, Mike took him to the hallway as to not disturb the class. When he came back, Mack was sitting alone along the wall, not dancing, and definitely not having a good time.
Mike and I explained that this wasn't an acceptable way to behave in dance class. It is absolutely ok to feel sad that she missed mommy but it was disrespectful to Miss Nicole and the other dancers who were counting on her as part of their team. Mackenzie agreed that the following week she would need to apologize to Miss Nicole. As it goes, the next week Mack woke with a fever and we kept our germs at home. Seven days passed and the time for dance class arrived. As Mack was instructed to get dressed, she began to cry.
" Ballet just isn't my thing!" She wailed. Ah. Another teachable moment was upon us. We talked about how Macky had started the class and her friends were all counting on her to finish it. There was, after all, only this one class left. She may not want to take another ballet class, but she still needed to complete this one and doing it with a good attitude would make things easier, but that part was up to her.
Nervously, Mackenzie apologized to Miss Nicole for not participating in the class two weeks before. Miss Nicole accepted her apology and welcomed her back to class. Mack's nervousness didn't leave her and I could feel her getting more anxious . It carried on to the point that I had to escort her, tears in her eyes, to the dance floor. This is so uncommon for Mackenzie but the truth remained that Mackenzie needed to follow through on her promise. This continued for a bit but as class went on, Mack perked up and eventually even enjoyed herself." Ballet is kind of my thing" She told me on the way out. In reality, the part Mack likes the best about ballet are the parts that are more gymnastic in nature. So after we had a chat about the morning events and talked about more constructive ways to handle feelings, we decided she'd give gymnastics a try coming up in September! It was a trying morning for us both but we got through it and , to me, it was worth it because I know that, with in those trials, are embedded very important lessons. Maybe ballet isn't Mack's thing. But we're better for having tried!
The class dwindled down from 7 to 3 over the course of it. Here are the three faithful girls doing their dance.:
Mike and I explained that this wasn't an acceptable way to behave in dance class. It is absolutely ok to feel sad that she missed mommy but it was disrespectful to Miss Nicole and the other dancers who were counting on her as part of their team. Mackenzie agreed that the following week she would need to apologize to Miss Nicole. As it goes, the next week Mack woke with a fever and we kept our germs at home. Seven days passed and the time for dance class arrived. As Mack was instructed to get dressed, she began to cry.
" Ballet just isn't my thing!" She wailed. Ah. Another teachable moment was upon us. We talked about how Macky had started the class and her friends were all counting on her to finish it. There was, after all, only this one class left. She may not want to take another ballet class, but she still needed to complete this one and doing it with a good attitude would make things easier, but that part was up to her.
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| That is not a happy ballerina. |
Nervously, Mackenzie apologized to Miss Nicole for not participating in the class two weeks before. Miss Nicole accepted her apology and welcomed her back to class. Mack's nervousness didn't leave her and I could feel her getting more anxious . It carried on to the point that I had to escort her, tears in her eyes, to the dance floor. This is so uncommon for Mackenzie but the truth remained that Mackenzie needed to follow through on her promise. This continued for a bit but as class went on, Mack perked up and eventually even enjoyed herself." Ballet is kind of my thing" She told me on the way out. In reality, the part Mack likes the best about ballet are the parts that are more gymnastic in nature. So after we had a chat about the morning events and talked about more constructive ways to handle feelings, we decided she'd give gymnastics a try coming up in September! It was a trying morning for us both but we got through it and , to me, it was worth it because I know that, with in those trials, are embedded very important lessons. Maybe ballet isn't Mack's thing. But we're better for having tried!
The class dwindled down from 7 to 3 over the course of it. Here are the three faithful girls doing their dance.:
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| Cookies with Miss Nicole to celebrate the end of dance. |
Mommy and Macky have a date
I woke up at 3:30am the other morning to the sound of Mackenzie crying. This is highly uncommon and it startled me. I rushed to her room to find tears streaming down her sleepy face. " Mommy. I just miss you! I never get to see you!" And it seems true for a new kindergartner who , for the first 5.5 years of her life had her mommy at her side. " I miss you, too, Macky! Tomorrow , you and I will have a date!" And so I held her , stroking her glittery hair, until she feel asleep. Bright and early the next day, Mack was ready to go! First she had dance class but right after, we went for lunch at Wholly Stromboli, our family's favorite restaurant followed by play time at the park. We both needed that. Kindergarten has been a hard adjustment for all of us and I never want my girl to feel like school or anything else keeps her from me.
Papa's farm
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| Papa brought in a giant toad for the kids to see. Mason was not at all impressed. In fact, he tried to run from the room! |
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| The view from the back deck. This is using my high powered lens to zoom in on a wild fire burning in the mountains. A short clip of Mason's reaction to the giant toad. It was not well received: |
Splish Splash
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| This is very suspicious looking |
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| Check out all Mason's toys |
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The best big sister
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