Speech Session

I took Alex to speech for the first time a few weeks ago. I was very anxious to go because I am a Speech Pathology Major in school. I was disappointed however, when I was told that I couldn’t observe his session. The Speech Pathologist suggested that she gain Alex’s trust by having a one on one session. I understood where she was coming from but, I was still disappointed.

I am very happy to report that Ms. Rhonda was correct in saying what she believed. Alex left her room with a very big smile. She told me what she did during the session and told me that in short time I would be able to observe. I am very happy that Alex has a good time in speech and has fun while learning.

Pet Store Palooza

The other day I set up a play date for Alex and his cousins Jill and Jen. I was supposed to meet up with his uncle and cousins at the YMCA playground at around four o’clock. It ended up being locked. I called his uncle, but he didn’t pick up. Finally, after waiting in the car for about fifteen minutes I got in contact with his uncle. He said that he was stuck in traffic and wouldn’t be able to meet up for about another fifteen minutes.

In order to pass the time, Alex and I visited the pet store across the street. Alex was fascinated by all the animals in the store. He admired the colorful fish and the fluffy bunnies. He walked throughout the store and commented on every new animal he saw. He played with the cages and opened up each and every one of them. It was very nice that Alex was distracted while we waited for his Uncle and cousins.

Playground Madness

After we left the pet store we went to the playground. This playground was absolutely insane. It might as well be renamed the “Zoo.” All the little children ran around the playground like animals. Each child had a huge smile on their face and was very excited to be there. We met up with Alex’s Uncle and cousins at around five due to the delayed traffic. Alex couldn’t have been happier to see his cousin Jillian. He adores her and has a great time playing with her.

I pushed Alex and Jillian on the swings while Scott Alex’s uncle watched his baby Jen. Jillian was getting a thrill out of the swings. She requested to go higher and higher each time I pushed her swing. Alex on the other hand was a little hesitant about being pushed higher. He seemed a little afraid to be high above the ground. We stayed there for about forty-five minutes and then had to leave to pick up Diana from dancing school.

It's the Grades that Count

I helped Diana study for her Math and Social Studies test last week. We studied for about two hours and then took a break and played Wii. Her teacher assigned her a challenging math homework assignment. The directions were to use the numbers one through 7 and use them in all different mathematical ways in order to reach specified numbers. We worked on this assignment for about an hour and then decided to move on to the next subject. We never completed the math assignment because it got to complicated and she was getting frustrated.

Social Studies is a field of study that I am very good at. I enjoyed teaching her about this topic and helped her remember the different ways to memorize her work. It all paid off when she told me a few days later that she received a grade of 92. I was so proud of her and very happy that I helped her.

Hide and Go Seek

As I got older I found myself playing less and less of simplest enjoyable games. It’s nice to be able to be a kid again when I play with Diana and Alex. We’ve been playing hide and go seek lately. It’s very fun to play this game. Alex usually gives up his hiding spot because he gets excited and laughs when I come close to where he is hiding. They normally hide in the same spot on the top bunk underneath the blanket. You think they would change it up a little? No. I pretend to search for them around the house when I most of the time immediately know where they are. We take turns hiding and seeking. As long as I see a smile on the kids faces I’m happy to play their games.

A break from the little one

After having a horrible day with Alex the day before I was relieved that I got a break from him. He went with his father to work the whole day. It was nice to have a carefree relaxing day with Diana. Diana and I had a wonderful time playing Wii and talking. She asked me to help her with a challenging part of the game The Spiderwick Chronicles. I’m not very good at those kinds of video games but I did help her out in a few parts of the game. She was very excited to beat the level and proceeded to the next one. After playing The Spiderwick Chronicles , we played Wii sports. We played bowling and tennis. I enjoyed my relaxing day of work. It was nice to have a break from the little one.

An Unpleasant Evening

One day last week Alex was so bad that I didn’t know what to do with him. He had a massive tantrum for about fifteen minutes and was acting barbaric. This only happens about once every 2 weeks. I don’t know what it is that triggers this behavior, but whatever it is it drives him to insanity. He was being so bad and I couldn’t wait to leave when his mother arrived. I asked him what was wrong a few times and he replied simply answering, “nothing.” I hate to be a discipliner but I had to take certain steps to calm him down. In my past training I have been told a few simple tactics to calm a child down when he/she is having a tantrum. First, you are supposed to ignore the child’s bad behavior in hopes that he/she will stop. If the child stops, talk to him in a calm manner and discuss his issue, but if the child continues other steps are required. Unfortunately, for me I wasn’t so lucky. Alex starting throwing things, kicking, screaming, punching, and almost broke the DVD player after hitting it with a shoe. He started banging his head and continued his tantrum.

As a babysitter, there are only a select few tactics that I am allowed to use. I decided to hold Alex on my lap and hold him until he stopped. While I was holding him I said be a good boy and calm down. The only way I will let you go is as if you calm down and be good. After putting up an epic battle for about five to ten minutes Alex finally ended. After his tantrum I discussed his behavior with him. He never told me what was wrong with him. I guess he was just in a bad mood. I discussed his tantrum with his mother. She approved of the methods I used to control him and was just as confused as to why he was acting the way he was.