Entries Tagged 'IRL' ↓

A few days ago the boys and I spent the day at a local attraction called Parc Paradisio.  Initially, this was a bird park and garden, but over the years has grown to be quite a zoo.  The site is built on the grounds and building remains of a magnificent abbey. With crowds milling about and a temperamental camera, I cannot do the parc justice.  But here are some shots from our day for you, nonetheless.

a portion of the Chinese gardens

mysterious rat/deer/kangaroo hybrid -- any suggestions?

the biggest maple I've ever seen... you have to be there to understand how huge these trees are.

elephant totem

Borobudur model?

Hindu temple on-site -- to be opened next season.

images of Ganesha abound

does he dare?

The pink building seen behind Gamma in this last shot today houses the aquarium.  Go here to see some of the fantastic animal life to be found at Parc Paradisio, as well as a few of the monuments.

In a comment from my most recent cry for help, JJ quotes from one of her own past posts (a quote of a quote of a quote of a quote, I think!):

Some students as children were taught to color inside the lines, watch Barney the purple dinosaur, and always ask permission.  We need students who found out what Crayons tasted like, loved reading “The Cat in the Hat” and paid little attention to rules — students whose parents encouraged their children’s curiosity.

Have I mentioned in the past that Gamma has gone to school here?  It’s called maternelle, and most children start at the age of 2 1/2. We sent Gamma briefly at the age of 2 1/2, believing it was the only way he would meet local kids and make friends.  (that’s a topic for another post, but let me just briefly say, there are no kids running about around here, even in the heart of the summer.  all the parents seem to work, and all kids seem to be in special all-day programs, even during vacation.)  He cried every single time I took him, so eventually we brought him home.  We tried again just last September, at 4 1/2.  At this point we’d been back and forth on the homeschool question half a dozen times.  What tipped the scales into “real” school’s favor?  Simply put: French.  I can teach him French, but fluency will be a stretch.  It seemed extremely important at the time.

Still some tears, but he was older and adjusted better.  His teacher was firm but kind.  Most of the other kids were fine.  He brought home some behaviors we didn’t care for, but we took that as par for the course.  Regardless, it was during that year that we decided his need for close family ties and an individualized education outweighed his need for French.  He didn’t go back after spring vacation.

His last day of school, his teacher gave me a packet with his papers and schoolwork from the year.  She said she had loved having Gamma for a student, and we could stop by anytime.  I left feeling a wee bit nostalgic.

In the car, I glanced through the paperwork.  On several pages, I saw a sad face with tears dripping from the eyes.  Why?  Because he had scribbled instead of colored in neatly.  He had followed the key correctly, coloring all the N spots black (noire), all the R spots red (rouge), all the J spots yellow (jaune).  But the coloring in had been done half-heartedly, because it’s not something he enjoys doing yet.

The message those sad faces sent (to me, at least) was that understanding the concept behind your task wasn’t important.  What was important was delivering a pretty package.  I was stunned.  Does a kid at 4 1/2 really need to be made to feel like they failed?  At coloring?  At that point, whatever doubts I’d been feeling about the should we/shouldn’t we issue disappeared.

Thanks, JJ.  I’m glad to have been reminded of that moment.

I had been planning on making my kids participating in TV Turnoff Week, back when I just missed the last one.  Although I’m not in the “television is evil” camp, I do wish the kids our family spent more time outside and less time plopped on the couch watching the tube.   I’m hesitant to establish any kind of ruling or specific hourly-allowance for the boys — my controlling nature is at odds with my desire for them to be as autonomous as possible from an early age and able to make these kind of judgments for themselves.  But I digress…the planned TV Turnoff Week…

The timing was off.  We had just returned from Scotland, the ease-into-homeschooling wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped, and I was smack out of ideas on how to make it a fun adventure.  So how did we compromise??

We bought a Wii.

…some highlights from our most recent trip to Scotland.  We base ourselves in Fort Augustus, a wonderful albeit tourist-filled town at the base of Loch Ness.  I find it funny that we scorn the “tourists” and wish they’d clear the streets and leave us in peace.  We’ve been there enough we feel like locals.  But that’s probably what all the tourists say!  Next year we’re hoping to go up in the winter and really slip off the tourist radar.

Without further ado…

OK, first of all, it’s been a busy week.  The kind where nothing quite goes as expected, and “me” time, which is normally spent on the computer, updating for all my very lovely readers, falls by the wayside.  Chances are there will be many, many more long silences in this blog.  I love to blog, but my family comes first.  No apologies.  Sometimes living life is far more important than writing about it.

But TODAY….

Today, Sunday, I took Gamma to the local indoor child-play area.  You know, bouncy castles, ball pits, tumbling mats, obstacle courses… that kind of thing.  I love to get him out to play with local kids — he learns to communicate in a foreign language, or without language.  He was having a great time until he happened to piss of THE THUG.  You know, the kid that every other kid has to please or he’ll pay dearly with his lunch money, pride, and anything else  he has to give.

The first time, Gamma fought back.  They were pushing each other about, slapping at each other, fighting as little boys do.  THE THUG looked to be about the same size as Gamma, which means he was probably about a year older.  Because Alpha is a giant, and Gamma takes after him, usually being mistaken for a kid a year or so older than he actually is.  Anyway….

I stepped in, fairly calmly.  I took Gamma away, bought him a drink, and reminded him that we don’t fight, EVER.  We don’t back down and let bullies win, but we don’t engage in fistfights, slapping, etcetera.  We shrug and turn away (perhaps with a “whatever” rolling of the eyes, once you’ve perfected it), showing that you couldn’t care less and engaging in this argument just isn’t worth your time.  Gamma got the message and, once refreshed, went back to playing.

At which time THE THUG sought him out.  And pinned his arms behind his back.  And pushed him up against the mesh “wall” and wouldn’t let him go.

The bastard.

Gamma called for me, a loud, plaintive “Mom!”  Not, “Mom, I’m scared, come help me!”;  but, “Mom, he’s not playing by the rules!  What do I do?!”  I was already on the way, and when THE THUG saw me, he quickly released Gamma.  I gave him the evil eye, and he retreated into the funhouse.

Although I stayed relatively close after that, and evil-eyed THE THUG twice more to avoid confrontation, the fun seemed to sour for Gamma.  Shortly after that, we went home.

I’ve been lucky thus far.  Bullies have been few and far between.  But now I find myself — Gamma, really, — faced with a dilemna.  How do you teach a young boy like Gamma — only five and a half — to be nice and gentle and gentlemanly, and yet to stand up for himeslf?  How does a boy avoid confrontation, yet not cave to THE THUGs of the world?  How does a boy please his mom and do what he knows is expected of him, without looking like a mama’s boy?

Bueller?  Anyone?

p.s. — I totally wanted to kick that kid’s ass!  I need to figure out how to intimidate little shits in French, because that hasn’t been part of my education thus far!