A few weeks ago, I timidly walked into parent-teacher conferences, bracing myself for the truth about my 5-year-old son. Images of him the night before, standing on his chair during dinner to do his favorite Fortnite dance flashed across my mind. Or the other day when he tried to cook his own eggs. Or the morning after Halloween when he climbed the pantry shelves trying to reach the candy I had foolishly thought was out of his reach.So I took a deep breath and walked in to meet his teacher.
without missing a beat. They could stay up late occasionally and not fall apart the next day. They sat, read books, colored pictures, and built Legos at age five. My third child does not. He runs. He jumps. And he doesn’t just run and jump. He runs into things. And jumps off of things. Or from one high thing to another high thing. If he has any free time before or after hockey practice, he’ll spend it playing football or baseball or tag or creating a very unsafe obstacle course.
But after school, his little body and tired mind need a break from rules and structure and routine. He needs the freedom to run, jump, yell, throw things, break things, and eat and drink when he wants.that my child’s behavior is actually quite normal, as home is his safe place, and I am his safe person. Home is “a place where kids typically feel secure showing their ugliest behavior to adults. They know that you’ll still love them and they’ll still get their needs met if they act out.
One of my children was very like yours at that age and I similarly understood that he needed to let his guard down and act out a bit once he got home. I was similarly surprised by his kindergarten teacher's descriptions and asked her if we were talking about the right child!
Qconnealy19
Isn't that every kid? I know I was a saint at school but a sarcastic a-hole when I was at home 😂