We haven’t yet gotten comfortable with our shifted priorities and schedule. Not everything fits yet. Grocery shopping for example. I have to find a place to fit that in where it won’t disrupt some other important thing. The waiting until we run out of milk completely and then running to the store grumpy isn’t working well. Also going to the gym is physically exhausting, which changes what we’re capable of accomplishing during the rest of the day. My pace isn’t frantic or heavily stressed, but I do have to keep moving steadily all day to get things done. I’m hoping that habit will make everything work more smoothly, but we’re only two weeks in. We haven’t achieved habit yet.
Despite the kinks in the new schedule, I am filled with a sense that we’re on the right path. I feel strongly that we just need to stick with the new schedule and everything will turn out all right. I can already see shifts in the kids’ behaviors that are a reflection of the shifts that I’ve made. I’ve talked more with them about their lives in the last two weeks than I did during the months of October, November, and December combined. I’ve noticed that very little substitutes for proximity and availability.
I’ve learned that Kiki has been helping a friend deal with some girls who pick on her. Kiki also told me about an event in her German class where she got the approval of all of her peers by angling the teacher into letting them finish a movie. Link told me how he really likes his resource class because it gets him out of composition. He explained how writing is hard and math is easy. Gleek snuggled and cried over the fact that there was an assembly and she did not get picked to help demonstrate despite the fact that she was working her very hardest to be good. Patches revealed that he is upset and nervous about being in charge of the song for Family Home Evening next week. A little practice and talking eased his mind tremendously.
It is like they’ve got all these thoughts and stories and hurts balled up inside them and I’m slowly managing to pull them out. I can see the kids unclenching and relaxing into this new way of being. I am here for them in a way that I have not been for months and they are really glad. This is the right path. I can tell.
Sounds like the new regime is a big success. Dunno how it’d work for you, but we do shopping once a week on thursday, leaving the house at about 10:30 I guess. having a notepad in the kitchen to write stuff that needs buying on, and making proper shopping list with ‘most everything on it, both help to ensure that a) the shopping goes reasonably smoothly and b) you’re less likely to forget things and then run out.
but yay! for the better communication with the kids.