Sunday with clowns...

Sunday we spent the afternoon with clowns, elephants, and acrobats. It was a fantastic family day, and I'm not sure who had more fun- us or the kids! :)This was such an incredible show, and the motorcycles were one of our favorite acts. In the steel cage SEVEN motorcycles and their riders rode full throttle inside. We had a rough spot when Zach had started a 'pouting' fit. We are working hard on his attitude, but sometimes he gets into a funk over the smallest thing, and then ruins his (and our) fun time. I am hoping it is a phase, but it has been rough to get through so far.

I found out this morning that he was sent to the office, because of a 'pouting' fit he wouldn't snap out of for his teacher. He gets very upset when I leave him, and it flows over into class time. It's almost as if we have regressed since kindergarten.

Last year, it took about a month before he asked me to leave before the bell rang. This year he has been very upset if I leave before class starts- to the point of a hysterical fit.

This morning his teacher asked me to leave early, and she gave him some chores in the class room to keep him busy. I don't want him to be the child with apron strings tied around his neck, but the more I try to send my lil' bird out of the nest, the tighter he hangs on.

I am not sure how to strike the balance of sending a cautious child into a big world, and keep him feeling strong and confident.

And while Zach is struggling to stay at school, his younger brother is suffering while staying home with Mom. He was helping me stir during my annual marathon zucchini bread festival- or as he calls it "Teeny Bread". That made him happy, but the rest of the day was miserable.

I tried to help him build a train track, but I don't 'do it like brudder'. He actually did some things to get into trouble, and I asked him why not play. He said he'd rather play timeout with me. The final straw was when I came into the laundry room and he was watching the washing machine spin for entertainment.

I finally turned the tv on, and let him watch some tom & jerry.

I think he might sign himself up for kindergarten, and borrow the car to drive there. I am going to predict I won't have a problem with him giving Mom the boot on the first day!

ETA: THAT WENT WELL THIS MORNING... NOT! I WALKED ZACH TO CLASS, THEN HAD TO TREAT HIM LIKE A PUPPY TRYING TO FOLLOW IT'S OWNER. I TOLD HIM TO HEAD TO CLASS, AND HE STOOD THERE WITH TEARS STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE. HE FOLLOWED ME BACK TO THE EDGE OF THE PLAYGROUND, AND I HAD TO ORDER HIM BACK TO THE PLAYGROUND.

AN ATTENDANT FINALLY WATCHED MY STRUGGLE AND CAME OVER TO HELP. I LEFT HIM HOLDING ONTO HER FOR DEAR LIFE. I CRIED FOR THE NEXT 10 MINUTES IN THE CAR, OH MY GOSH, NOTHING LIKE A BROKEN HEART IN THE MORNING.