Parent-Teacher Conferences

 Last Friday I let Ava stay home from school because I thought she was still not feeling well from the UTI.  She was fine all during the day and even at night.  On Saturday the kids had a practice for their Primary Program.  I had my suspicions about Ava, and it was confirmed when I had the kids start to get ready.  As soon as I told them to change their clothes Ava started telling me she had a stomach ache and tears started welling up in her eyes.  I knew I would have to stay at the church the whole practice at that point.  She was near tears the entire time I was helping her get ready, but I told her she would be going to the practice and I would go with her.  Right as we were about to pull out of the driveway she said she was going to have an accident and ran inside to go to the bathroom one more time.  

She cried all the way to the church.  She cried as we were walking into the church.  I got Asher and Mia into the chapel, but Ava said she had to go to the bathroom again so I took her.  She was so upset so I told her she could sit in the pews with me, but she still had to sing all the songs.  For the first 15 minutes of the practice she ran to the bathroom 3 more times.  I told her she didn't actually have to go to the bathroom because nothing was coming out, to which she replied "But what if I have another accident???"  That's what I was worried about.  She's had so many things happen at school (having an accident, throwing up, getting a UTI) that now she is getting a lot of anxiety about even leaving the house.  I managed to calm her down and for the rest of the practice she sang all the songs and sat and listened to the instructions.  She sat by me in the pews the whole time, but she was there.  They had a little activity afterwards and she even managed to leave my side and go play with Asher and Mia a little bit.  After that we went home to change and then drove to Rexburg to go to a birthday party.  She had so much fun!  We were at the park for at least 2 hours and she didn't have to go to the bathroom once.  

The next day we had church and the same thing started happening when I told the kids to start getting ready.  Ava teared up, said she had a stomach ache, and got very anxious.  Church went better because we were all sitting together for the first hour.  I was a little worried she would get upset when it was time to go to Primary, but she jumped right up and ran after Mia!  

Monday, same thing happened again.  She wanted a piggy back ride to the bus stop and almost refused to get on the bus because I wasn't going with her.  She was crying as she got on the bus and I felt like a horrible parent.  But after school she was all smiles!  Asher said she wasn't even crying after she got on the bus.  Tuesday she was a little upset, but it was getting better.  She was a little teary-eyed getting on the bus, but no actual tears fell.  And the rest of this week she's been great!  I think the more she leaves the house and realizes that bad things don't ALWAYS happen, the less her anxiety is.  

She is just fine now, but she still tells me her tummy hurts until I give her the antibiotic.  When we finish that course I'm not sure how she'll be, but I hope she realizes everything will be okay.

This week we also had Parent-Teacher Conferences!  I like these because it's interesting to see how my kids are when I'm not around.  First was Mia.  Sitting through that was like sitting through my own PTC all growing up.  Her teacher said she was very smart and got along well with all the kids, but she was very quiet in class.  Even when her teacher knows that she knows the answer, she'll rarely raise her hand to answer.  (Hmmm....that sounds familiar...)  It's funny to hear that because at home she is always the one answering questions, even when the question isn't directed at her.  She scored great on all her tests and it fun to have in class.  Her teacher actually said that she almost got a high enough score to pass all the information they're supposed to have learned by the end of the year.  Pretty much what I was expecting!

Next was Ava.  I'm always amazed at what her teachers say about her.  They say she sits still and pays attention and can focus on her work.  A little bit different from the wild and crazy party girl I see at home!  She also tested great and is right where she should be.  I guess she does better when they break up into smaller groups of 3 or 4, which makes sense.  I told her teacher I was sorry for how much school Ava had missed already, but she said it was nothing to worry about.  Ava was apparently one of many kids that missed last Friday so it was no big deal.  She also told me that last week, 10 kids were home sick one day in Mia's class!  I've heard from many people that for whatever reason it's just a bad year for illnesses.

Asher is my one child that I'm never surprised to hear what his teacher has to say.  He's the same at school as he is at home.  His teacher told me he is a very smart kid and is amazing at math.  He understands what they're doing and can explain everything back to her.  He loves math so that didn't surprise me.  She also said he's not afraid to share his opinion.  Again, not surprising.  They're reading a book as a class which Asher is not a fan of and isn't shy about mentioning that fact.  Asher loves reading, but he wants to be the one to pick the book.  Writing has always been difficult for him, but his teacher said he is putting in the effort (even if it is the bare minimum) and getting the work done.  Even if he isn't happy about it.  She also said he gets very concerned with what is fair.  There's a kid in his class (who he has told me about before) who is given a lot of leeway on what he is allowed to do.  He gets the easiest words in spelling, he gets to watch YouTube when everyone else is doing math on their Chromebooks, he doesn't have to follow all the same rules.  I guess Asher takes great umbrage with that.  She told me that this student has A LOT of struggles that they weren't really aware of when he was assigned to her classroom.  Like it's a good accomplishment to get him to sit in his seat in the morning.  I told her that I figured it was something like that and I had talked with Asher a little bit about how not everyone has the same abilities and can do all the things that he can.  His teacher ended the conference by saying "He's a great kid!  He's going to change the world! As long as he can focus that energy." I think she likes him pretty well and I know Asher really likes her.  

So that ends the week!  I also finished off the kids' costumes and I think they'll all look great.  And I did not get one call from the school this week!  There's still an hour of school left....so knock on wood...but I'm glad we finally reached that milestone.  Let's hope next week is even better!