Culture shock and capacity for change constantly ebb and flow. After a few weeks of feeling like we were pretty settled, Wm hit a tough spot this weekend, with a few tantrums and many almost-tantrums. He missed his friends in Manila, he hated all his toys here, he was bored, I was the world's meanest mother, Patch could do nothing right and everything wrong, Greg didn't have time to play buses with him. Pretty much only Ian was exempt from his vitriol because "baby hugs make everything better" (at least he has that right! And, at least Ian always has a smile and a hug to give.)
Saturday, not much could be done. Movers showed up (a day late) so boxes needed to be unloaded. And since we hate hate hate living with boxes, that means the first floor had to be unpacked. Lea ventured out to the Building Museum with the two small ones, but Wm stomped around the house trying to find something to do that would either let him vent or make him happy. He had a little success making his own "bingo" chart to catalog box numbers in each room and then inviting a neighborhood kid over to unwrap some toys. But, generally the day was miserable.
Sunday I tried to cater a bit more to him. We baked cookies and tried to sell them, but it turned out to be pretty hot, so after only four customers in one hour, Wm called it quits. Hey, at least we now have cookies to eat. Then, friends invited us to their pool for a swim and cookout. Wm warned me before we left that he was "feeling shy" and wouldn't talk directly to the other kids, so I would have to help him. Not my favorite spot to be in (especially with Patch and/or Ian intermittently hanging off one or both arms), but, hey, at least the kid could finally recognize his issues and ask for my help, rather than just storming off, right? In all, I think the afternoon was a success, in that we had no tantrums or fights (and Ian and patch certainly had fun).
So, now it is 9pm and I'm exhausted. I wanted to have my house in better shape, but instead had to put that aside and cater to Wm. and then had to attempt to explain to our nanny who is very capable to please not touch boxes tomorrow (except in boys room), because since this is our house, I really want to be the one to set it up, even if I'm not home for most of the day and she wants to be helpful. I want to decide which carpets go where. I want to decide how my china cabinet is set up. I'll be ok with Greg organizing the bookcase, but I need to set up our linen closet. The weekend was Wm's turn to be fussy, but I can feel my turn is coming soon....
Saturday, not much could be done. Movers showed up (a day late) so boxes needed to be unloaded. And since we hate hate hate living with boxes, that means the first floor had to be unpacked. Lea ventured out to the Building Museum with the two small ones, but Wm stomped around the house trying to find something to do that would either let him vent or make him happy. He had a little success making his own "bingo" chart to catalog box numbers in each room and then inviting a neighborhood kid over to unwrap some toys. But, generally the day was miserable.
Sunday I tried to cater a bit more to him. We baked cookies and tried to sell them, but it turned out to be pretty hot, so after only four customers in one hour, Wm called it quits. Hey, at least we now have cookies to eat. Then, friends invited us to their pool for a swim and cookout. Wm warned me before we left that he was "feeling shy" and wouldn't talk directly to the other kids, so I would have to help him. Not my favorite spot to be in (especially with Patch and/or Ian intermittently hanging off one or both arms), but, hey, at least the kid could finally recognize his issues and ask for my help, rather than just storming off, right? In all, I think the afternoon was a success, in that we had no tantrums or fights (and Ian and patch certainly had fun).
So, now it is 9pm and I'm exhausted. I wanted to have my house in better shape, but instead had to put that aside and cater to Wm. and then had to attempt to explain to our nanny who is very capable to please not touch boxes tomorrow (except in boys room), because since this is our house, I really want to be the one to set it up, even if I'm not home for most of the day and she wants to be helpful. I want to decide which carpets go where. I want to decide how my china cabinet is set up. I'll be ok with Greg organizing the bookcase, but I need to set up our linen closet. The weekend was Wm's turn to be fussy, but I can feel my turn is coming soon....
