The more things change...

So the early bird wake-ups continue. In a lot of other areas, Sam has been great, though he has violently shaken his head NO every time I have asked him if he wants to do work today. I know, you don't ask a kid whether they want to do work. But I do, and he usually says yes. It makes the whole experience more pleasant. Our home visit yesterday went okay...we had a good talk with Sam's one-on-one teacher, and she gave me some good pointers for doing work with Sam at home. Apparently he can spell from memory, so if I show him a card with a three letter word written on it, and then take it away, he should be able to type it. Sam was completely uninterested in doing work, either with me or his teacher. He squealed, screamed and cried (but did it anyway). I usually wait a while after school before asking him to do work to give him a break, so I suspect he was just DONE with school and work.

The thing is, he's been a little, um, out of sorts? Lots of crying, screaming and protesting (not the most we've ever seen, but more than our new normal). And it comes out of nowhere, and I don't know why. I think that's it. As frustrated as I am with hearing the noise, I am more frustrated from racking my brain to understand the cause. That's the worst thing about a non-verbal six year old. Sam can make his basic wants and needs known (food, drink, bathroom, TV, car ride, movie, car ride for food), but not so much his feelings. That is, I clearly understand that he feels agitated, but he can't tell me why. It's been like this since we've been back from VT. I know that he's doing more in school, that he's tired from early wake-ups, and that his teeth hurt (both front teeth are loose), but since he can't talk with me (notice I didn't say communicate) it is hard to connect or soothe on that level. Which is normal in a baby or toddler, but not a smart, complicated 6 year old. And that makes me feel sad. Because I can't fix it. And it reminds me of my limits as his parent. I can read him pretty well, but I can't read his mind. I can only guess where he's coming from.