In the Writers' Workshop program at school, the kindergartners are encouraged to write what they want, without regard to spelling or syntax - the idea is just to spill out their thoughts and get them on paper. This month they had a series of "How To" writing assignments where they had to write three-step instructional stories on how to do something. Consider the meaning of these four stories Zach wrote for the month (spelling corrected for ease of reading):
How to Get Cats: First, save up $150. Go to the pet store. Buy a cat. Take it home.
How to Make Kale Chips: First, put kale on. Put salt on. Then put the kale in the oven.
How to Make a Fireworks Show: First, buy Pop-its. Second, wait until night. Third, chuck Pop-its.
How to Make C4: First, get clay. Get gunpowder. Then you have C4.
We are struggling with his darker side - the side that makes him lash out and shut down all reason. But the thing that keeps us going is the fact that the people who know him best - his teacher, his aides, his babysitter, his reading group teacher - the ones who see him or work with him every day - are completely smitten with him.
Zach found a dollar on the playground the other day. And even though he's fascinated with money, and would have probably loved to take it home, he insisted on walking it up to the main office and leaving it with the secretary, who dutifully took down his name in case no one "claimed" it. When his teacher heard the story, she nearly wept. "When you think about all the things that are going on in this world...He is just a sweet, super kid."
It's no secret that Luke has been having a tough year. While Zach is brimming with outsized confidence, Luke is swimming in self-doubt. He also reads, and I don't want to embarrass him, so I won't get too much more into it, but suffice to say that he is still trying to find his place in the world.
Dave struggled with the decision of whether to have him play "up" to the kid-pitch league or to hold him back for one more year in coach-pitch. Finally he decided to give him a year of confidence-building by keeping him for one more year of coach-pitch and letting him be one of the senior players on the team.
But after the first day of practice yesterday, we were all having doubts. "The baseball part was good," reported Luke, "but the kids were all weird. They were so young they were making poop and pee jokes."
Then came the first game tonight and it quickly became clear to all of the parents watching the team that Luke was going to be the Player To Watch. And then the bases were loaded...and Luke came up to bat...and the pitch came down...and he smacked the biggest, most powerful hit you've ever seen deep into left field...GRAND SLAM!!! The crowd went wild, and Luke was beaming as he rounded the bases. He was named MVP of the game and took home the game ball as a prize.
It hasn't solved anything...and it's all just a matter of one day at a time...but for once I just feel like I can go to bed smiling tonight, thinking we possibly moved the needle just a little bit in the right direction. And that's all you can do for the day, right?
What's that - you want pictures? OK, here are Zach and Luke when we went to go check out the Space Shuttle and see Granddad's handiwork. Is Zach wearing pajama pants in that picture? Yes. And that, folks, is why this picture is tentatively titled, "Pick Your Battles."
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