Categories: uncategorized
Date: 11 May 2004 08:39:52
You should have seen his face. "Mummy, did I hear you right? Did you really say 'Scouts is more important than SATs'?"
Last night signified a major step forward in my eldest son's life. Finally, finally he has learned the self control which will help him handle his excessive need for sleep. He has finally managed to control his behaviour (tantrumming in particular) sufficiently for him to be invested as a Scout, one year after the time he should have moved on from Cubs. The aim, as I have mentioned before, was for him to manage four weeks in a row without a tantrum and he's done it, brilliantly. And last night he was to wear his uniform - crisp and new and looking incredibly grown up - for the very first time and make his promise and receive his badges. Honestly, if he makes me any prouder I truly will burst.
Really, considering that I am a teacher, you'd think I'd have stopped him going to Scouts this week, though. He had a late night on Saturday for the concert, he's tired, and he's got SATs tests all week. But as I told him, Scouts (especially for him) is far more important. The SATs will tell us nothing that we didn't already know - i.e. that he's good at Science but finds the reading of the paper difficult, that he's coming along in English but behind where he should be, and that he really struggles with Maths. He knows that, his teachers know that, I know that. Who cares if he's too tired to do his Maths paper to the best of his ability today? He's not going to score on it, anyway, so what's a few extra points less going to matter. (Can you have extra less?) So as it was, I did a compromise - he was invested and stayed to play his choice of game and then we came home about an hour earlier than usual. It had the extra bonus that Smudgelet and I were able to stay at Scouts to watch the investiture.
Smudgelet is doing SATs this week too, but didn't realise it at all. It's quite funny, he thinks they're having extra treats this week! He was particularly proud to announce that he'd had a try at some Year Four work in Literacy. I wonder how he got on. He came home from Beavers with a freshly painted Thai flag and having tasted some Thai food, much to his disgust! I don't know, I can't be doing with these fussy eaters. (OK, so what if I am a fussy eater too? There's no need to tell everyone). He's also delighted because his first ever trip with the Beavers is to be held on Sunday.
I should have known better, mind, than to introduce my boys to the delights of doing crosswords and word searches. I bought them "QuizKids" - the junior version of the Puzzler. Now I can't get them out of the toilet!
A moment of serendipity last night. While waiting for Smudgelet to finish at Beavers, Tiddles and I went down to the seafront. The sky was blue, with the sun casting a golden shimmer across the sea. The tide was right in and the waves were splashing against the sea wall then running back across the stones with a gentle rippling sound. The birds were singing in the woods behind us as we sat on the bench overlooking the sea, our senses absorbing the gentle sights and sounds. Tiddles managed about ten minutes of total stillness (Smudgelet might even have managed ten seconds, the atmosphere was so calming). And to crown it, we suddenly opened our eyes and saw the magnificent cruise ship Adonia setting off from Southampton. Wow, what a moment!