digging for gold

 ***warning I am totally going to brag on my kid***

Just wanna give props to my 4 yr old.

Sweet boy. he's little bit of a goof ball too.

Things have  been a bit off kilter here the last 2 weeks. We have had a lot going on and things can easily get off balance… then we get stressed… and ya know, we aren’t perfect.

But this boy. I swear he knows if things are rough.

Maybe its part of being the oldest. I have a feeling I was that way when I was younger growing up the 2^nd oldest of 8.

On days like yesterday it seems he never melts down, helps clean up, corrects the babies, gives me extra hugs, plays well and helps take care of things. My personal favorite is when he puts his hand on his head and sighs deeply (basically mimicking me exactly). Ok, well maybe that’s just scary.

He’s not perfect. He’s come a long way in the last 6 months though. That is when he first started experiencing anger and acting out…. I’ll admit- I was scared to death. But we’ve worked a lot together. He still messes up… like when he kicked my leg the other day when I told him No about buying something. I gave him 2 choices as a consequence and he picked one immediately telling me he was sorry and asking for forgiveness. (I am reading a great book called "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent child"- its helped me a lot)

This year he also has started trying to develop a sense of humor... hahaha. Because social skills aren't natural to him- he can be a bit dry- which makes it all the more funny to me.

If you try to talk to him he will probably hide or may even give you a mean look. Don’t take it personally; he has a hard time coming out of his shell. He’s an introvert. When he’s a bit more comfortable he will talk to you. If I leave you with my kids, he will show you where everything is, help play with his brother and sister and make sure you know all the rules. J

He can be a bit high maintenance about things and get stressed but this is also what makes him brilliant and creative. I love to watch him play and create things. I especially love his art. He loves art. He uses so much color and comes up with some pretty deep things for a 4 year old.

Like this picture he drew on the driveway.

He told Brent that the people in the picture needed to walk through the doors to see the sunshine and trees. They couldn’t see them until they walked through the doors. Pretty deep, profound word for a kid.

Ethan will be 5 in July, we thought we might hold him back from starting school this Fall but after talking with his teacher and the principle, they are certain that he is ready for kindergarten. I was surprised with how sure they were as they advice many parents to hold their kids back (especially boys).

But Ethan they said is different. He has not had one discipline issue. He works hard and even when he came in the middle of the year with a learning curve, he caught up in a matter of weeks. One of the assistants in his class said, he is so smart and he never needs help. He watches intently how to do something, figures it out, and then does it. He is at the top of his class. He has had no problem making friends either and gets along with everyone.

One day Ethan came home and told me that his friend Justin is always going into time out.

I replied, Aww, that’s to bad. Its important to make good choices. Who is your best friend at school?

“Justin”, Ethan blurts out

“Really?” I ask

“Yea” Ethan says, “because he’s like the Grinch. He has pain in his heart but he’s still good.”

Wow. What a kid. Parenting him this last year has had its challenges but I always ask God to help us find the gold and pull it out of him. When God exposes a problem in us, it’s just an opportunity for greatness to come out or be developed. I try to remind myself of this when I am dealing with my kids. We are digging for gold. Ethan has responded amazingly this year. I can’t wait to see what God does with this boy.