This child is darling. Adorable, even.
His heart is a big as the sky and his curiosity is too.
He is a highly-motivated learner and, need a say it, a kinesthetic learner.
He NEVER stops moving. Not even while he is peeing. He is singing, dancing, moving a million miles a second. When he is in the bathroom, any moment you will hear a crash, LOUD singing, or the child simply talking to himself through whatever toys he carried in with him. He is often completely unaware of the noise he is making, the ruckus he has begun, or the looks of irritation coming to him from his sister.
I am always charmed by how his imagination works...and works...and works. For some reason, he is able to stick with his own stories in his head for hours. HEY! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
There is no doubt about it, this child has energy in unlimited supply. This is probably why he crashes so hard at the end of the day.
While we find ourselves testing driving ideas for helping him to focus and stay on task, and this is an ongoing struggle, we also find ourselves overwhelmed with love for the unlimited goodness in his heart. He may spill the butter while doing it, but he will sweep the floor because I mentioned how crummy it is. He may step over a pile of shoes and coats, but he will pick up the trash and take it out. He may have to squiggle out from under a pile of cushions and move the minions and weaponry, but he will set the table when asked. He may run in a mad dash to open the door for me, but he does it by running through the cars of the parking lot. He Still doesn't get it! It's a total fright. He is ten years old and I still hold on to his hand in the parking lots and always will until he is holding the hand of a child of his own!
When it comes to lessons, I have tried everything that Carol Barnier has suggested. I have even made little paper targets to put in front of his eyes to redirect him back to his work. And sometimes these efforts work. Sometimes, they don't. But what he gets from these efforts of ours is that his energy is OK. His distractability is not a "learning deficiency" or in need of "special ed". He knows that, the more we work on keeping the busy side of him in motion, the better the thinking side can engage. And, through this process, he is learning HOW to learn.
And THAT is what it is all about.
