I am just wondering if this phenomenon played itself out in your house a much as it did in ours during this back-to-school time.... Our six year old son started first grade this year at our local public school, I love the school, so don't get me wrong here, but my son came home the first two weeks of school like a wild animal! I was kind of floored by it and wasn't prepared for this totally bonkers kid in our home, and of course our three year daughter just fell in line and bounced around like a nut as well! I found myself thinking, 'who ARE these kids?!' and I wanted to write about it, firstly to share the craziness and secondly to warn those parents out there who have not yet entered first grade.
As I was talking to friends and neighbors about it, and it came to me while talking about it that hhmmm, this happened last year too! when kindergarten started only to a lesser degree... he came home and kind of lost his rhythm and became more akin to an animal and not a kid. One night my husband and I started talking about it and I was telling him that I was thinking of locking him in a cage (not literally, just to prove my point that it was getting crazy!) and as we talked about it we realized that these kids, especially in first grade are just starting to sit down and learn instead of playing all day and it's a BIG step for them and so when they come home after being in their straight jackets all day long they are just beyond themselves about what to do and even if you are there to point them into a certain direction, they just can't even focus on that and...well they become a bit wild.
So here is what we decided to do, when he came home from school we went straight outside; down to the beach, flying a kite, riding bikes, anything as long as it's outside. And that was all that it took, by the time he came inside the wildness was out of him, we had played together for a bit and he was more ready to be our wonderful son again (I say this also because I don't want you to think our kids are animals, they are sweet, considerate, polite and thoughtful... most of the time!)
I am sure that there are books about this, I just haven't read them! but I didn't want anyone else to be alone in this and thinking that your kids are bonkers! hang in there and they will figure it out... eventually! I talked to my son about it the other day and I asked him "what was going on in there?" and you know what he told me... "life is hard mom" I don't know where he got that but I was happy that I thought to say "that's why we all need to be nice to each other... because life is hard, so let's listen to each other and be nice to each other and it will be better".
please share your comments.. if you have had this happen in your home and how you felt and any ideas on what to do!?
