So far, so good

Starting the second week of kindergarten for Jordan, and he's having a real good time. Seems his first year of pre-kindergarten was just what he needed in order to know how to get along with friends and teachers. Still not sure we're totally on board with the new school ourselves yet, but I've found that kids are more like duck feathers than adults are. If something doesn't go perfect for a child, it doesn't take long for it to be forgotten.

Who's ready?

The bug started kindergarten today. Not a lot of trouble waking up and getting ready. He was excited to get started and looked forward to getting into his room. Found his seat and settled in quickly.

So why don't I feel good?

His mom and I have been thinking about doing a homeschooling plan with him. We were used to the school Jordan went to in Colorado, and this one is different in ways that we're not sure we like. These days homeschooling is a lot more user-friendly, with some of the plans actually enrolling the child into a school. The only difference is the parent teaches it. There are get-togethers and trips with others in the class at regular intervals.

So why don't I feel good?

Jordan is a people who needs people kind of person. He is smart as a whip, but he'd rather play with his friends. And the problem right now is that we don't have friends for him to play with, so school is a necessity for that on a daily basis.

I was thinking that Sunday school could also help him build new friendships, and it can and will, I think. But that is in the future and requires the building up of everything, which for me will take ten times as long as for the normal person, because I'm a loner personality.

Homeschooling might still be in the boy's future, but rather than put it in front of the building up of friendships and relationships with other families, I think it will work better if it comes after all that is in place. If it comes at all.

Another sure sign of my not being ready now, is that instead of talking to someone about my feelings, getting advice from others who may have been in the same situation, I'm writing in this blog.

Let it ride

If you ever want to see a happy kid, watch him on his first ride on the biggest roller coaster he's ever been on. And if you want to see him smile 50 more times, let him keep riding and riding and riding the bumper cars.

Jordan got to do all that this weekend at Kings Island, and if it were up to him, he would have stayed there for the night and woke up in line for the bumpers.

Seriously, he smiled and laughed so much, he said his cheeks hurt.

The one negative part was that he's almost an inch to short to ride the majority of the rides. Even worse, they don't all measure as carefully, so the guys on the big bumper cars let him ride seven or eight times until one jerk pulled out the metal swinging ruler.

But mostly, it was a great time, all 10 and a half hours of it. Just don't ask my feet.

The fine line

As a parent, I try to teach my son a smidgen of humility to go along with his near limitless self-confidence. At least I try to impart why it's not always necessary to brag about how good he is at something, especially when it might hurt somebody else's feelings. It's a fine line, because I don't want him to turn into someone who stands back and lets mediocrity rule--though you know in this world today, when so much is ruled by mediocrity the only way to get ahead is to join their ranks.

During a recent game of Xbox Nascar, Jordan told me during a qualifying round, "I'm going to come in first place 'cause I'm so good."

I took my cue and tried to define "bragging" to him and how it wasn't always the nice thing to do, especially when you're in somebody's face saying you're going to beat them. Not always, anyway. He didn't quite understand why it might bother someone. I've seen him react to others saying that, and he laughs it off, probably because he believes he's better. A case of irresistible force meeting immovable object.

Shortly after I finished trying to explain how some people might be insulted by bragging or think less of a person for doing so, Jordan tapped me on the arm.

"Daddy, I'm sorry about bragging...but I did come in first place."

It's a fine line being bragging and self-realization.

Crap, I hope I didn't teach him to care more about his opponents' feelings than about winning for himself. That's kind of what happened in soccer last year. He became so concerned about knocking people down that he stopped going after the ball as fiercely as he did in the beginning.

"But they're my friends," he would say.

Stupid fine lines.

Could have been worse

My son and I were eating a couple of those 100-calorie packages of cookies the other day. I finished mine and walked out of the room for a second and back in. Jordan had a little cookie in his hand and said, "Here's you a cookie, Daddy."

"Thanks," I said, as I ate the cookie.

"That's all right," Jordan answered. "I couldn't eat it 'cause it fell on the floor."