Head spinning

It's so funny how variable Adin's maturity is.  When we are transitioning from one activity to another or from one place to another, if I don't give him a lot of mental preparation time, he can throw a fit worthy of a two year old.  However, other time his coping skills and problem solving are remarkably mature.  Playing a new game on my Kindle, each time he loses, he says cheerfully, "I did my best."  When I came in from taking out some lawn waste and commented on how cold it is outside and how cold my fingers were, he suggested I might want to make myself some hot cocoa, which I think showed a nice ability to put himself in my shoes.  Last month, when I was upset that I couldn't celebrate Erik's birthday by buying myself a coffee, he suggested I find a different way to celebrate!  That one really made me laugh because I was the one fussing like a two year old and he was the mature one putting the situation into perspective.

Erik's teacher told me last night how pleased she is with his oral Spanish.  Now the classroom expectation is that the students speak only Spanish.  She said many of the students are not yet confident and so they mumble when they speak, which makes it hard for her to hear and understand them.  She said Erik speaks out clearly.  I told her that Joe and I felt Erik seemed to turn a corner at spring break.  He seemed to miss speaking in Spanish, began using some Spanish with us, and told us he thought he was losing Spanish skills during the break (which he would not have cared about earlier).  Since then, he's been using more Spanish at home with us.  I wish I spoke and understood more Spanish.