Cracks are Starting to Show

I spoke with my sister this morning. She was a bit agitated and frustrated with Colin. We are encountering some bumps in the transition.

The guidance counselor had contacted Aunt P about difficulties in French. Colin is behind and the French teacher thinks it will be difficult to catch up. It was recommended that he drop the class and be put in another enrichment class.

On the other hand, Colin is way ahead in Honors Geometry. It appears his old school had taught many of the concepts last year. There is discussion is letting Colin test out and perhaps bump him ahead in math. My sister, my husband and I all think this is a bad idea and could potentially hurt Colin next year. We are afraid he might miss information critical to his success in high school.

No surprise, Colin has other ideas. He thinks he can catch up in French and wants to skip ahead in math. He has a bit of an ego and thinks he is smart enough to handle both issues on his own. We are concerned about his emotional maturity.

Colin is also becoming more obstinate in getting dressed for school as well. He fell asleep in the polo shirt and shorts he wore on Monday and refused to change clothes this morning. Aunt P was angry he would not change but Uncle B told my sister to let it go. (I agree with Uncle B, sometimes you have to pick and choose your battles) He wants to hold his Aunt to her original suggestion about shopping for new clothes and does not want to wear his old clothes from home.

Aunt P has a policy of being honest and may be a little too honest with Colin. She made sure he knew that any new clothes would be paid for by his parents and pointed out that the polo he has been wearing is from home. She also mentioned that he is using his camera which was purchased by Mom and Dad. She is fuming and had to resist the instinct to "beat the kid".

My suggestion is to make sure she is calm when she is "being honest" and to allow Uncle B to intervene when she starts to lose her cool.

Giving Thanks

My sister decided to hold Thanksgiving at her house and my brother Mike and his wife will be driving in from Chicago. Our family is also invited. My husband is apprehensive and is inclined to decline the invitation. He doesn't want to upset Colin or ruin his holiday.

Colin most likely has overheard his Aunt talking about the dinner and asked about it. When told his parents and brothers were invited, he was upset. He was under the impression that we would not be coming to her house. His Aunt explained that she has a right to invite us over and that Colin was welcome to have dinner in his room. He would be safe from seeing us if he wanted to. We have a few weeks to let this settle in. If we do go to the dinner, we will try to keep the visit short.

Visit from the "Observer"

In other news, the CBT (psychologist) came to interview and observe Colin. My sister thought it went well. Colin was able to talk to her and agreed to go visit her at her office. He also was made aware that she was going to observe him at school but the other students would not know about it. He seemed fine.

I am praying that Colin can hold it together and not act out for his aunt like he did at home. I also pray that my sister can control her frustration and anger. This kid will require much patience and understanding. I hate that we are all walking on eggshells and hope we can continue to make progress.

We are a work-in-progress!