totally awesome tuesday: the photographer

the photographer, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

... and here's the photographer from yesterday's pic. Isn't he awesome? Well, I know you can't tell from where you're sitting but let me assure you, he is.

He's also struggling with behavioural issues at school. For the first time in a long time I had one of those, can we have a little chat after school? conversations with his teacher. It seems that his behaviour has been deteriorating over the last two weeks. We've also noticed this at home, and it can seem like we're walking on eggshells trying to keep him on an even keel.

But why now? We're not sure. It is colds season. Maybe his asthma has been playing up? Is he getting enough sleep? As usual, the answer isn't clear. It has also coincided with me being ultra busy, and unfortunately I think there is a correlation. He gets easily overwhelmed when life is busy and crowded, which of course it is all day at school. We just found out today that he's being teased/bullied by some kids at recess just because he reacts explosively when anxious. Of course, this makes it worse.

So, it's not just about space for me to get my act together, it's space for him too. We'll try teasing out the problems here at home, and in my best incredulous but still respectful voice, I've asked that he be switched from speech therapy (he sounds too english for the Canadian school system, I'm not making this one up) so he can visit the school counsellor again.

I dearly wish I could wave a magic wand and fix this once and for all. This is the fourth year running and I'm out of ideas. How do I help him get over this over-reaction and help him deal with being overwhelmed? How do I teach him to calm down instead of exploding with anxiety? How do I manage all this when I'm still learning myself?

Motherhood - continuous L plates.