Somebody Get Me a Straw!

Alex finally lost a tooth! He has been waiting for this since he was in Kindergarten. He had been wiggling the tooth for about a week and was fed up with it. He was so brave and let mommy yank that thing right out. The first thing he said when I pulled it was, "Somebody get me a straw! I can stick it in the hole and drink without opening my mouth!" This whole pulling thing scared Aiden to death! He saw the blood running out of Alex's mouth and started to cry. He tried to get me to promise I wouldn't make him lose any teeth. He has asked me every day since if he has to lose teeth. Poor guy! Thank heavens memories fade...

As we put the tooth in an envelope and under Alex's pillow he asked me how much money I thought that the Tooth Fairy would leave him. I told him two or three dollars. He says, "WHAT! I bet she's going to leave me twenty. She knows how long I waited to lose that tooth!" I said, "I hate to break it to you son, but the Tooth Fairy isn't rich. He was still excited when he woke up this morning at 4:30 a.m. and ran into our room to tell us that he found three dollars under his pillow. He never went back to bed. Ugh!

Just some side info for journaling: Alex LOVES his teacher, Mrs. Iverson. She is so strict with those kids and he just thrives off of it. She is so good to compliment him continually which speaks his "love language" and keeps him working so hard. She has really turned him into an excellent reader and student. He could care less about pleasing me, but THRIVES off of making her proud. The other day I told him that his TV time was over and that he needed to come do his homework before basketball practice. I then turned off the TV. He turned it back on. I turned it off again and he turned it back on. I told him that THIS was his time to have help from me in getting his homework done and that if he chose not to take the opportunity it would be lost. I also told him that it would be bed time when he got home from practice and NOT homework time. He chose to ignore me and went outside to play. I thought that I would be clever and put into practice all that I learned by reading the Parenting with Love and Logic book. I knew he wasn't going to get his homework done. I knew that he would cry when he woke up in the morning and had to explain to his teacher why he didn't get it done. But I was tired of the daily homework battles and wanted to teach him this valuable lesson. So I let him play. He went off to basketball practice and came home ready to do his homework. I reminded him that homework time was over and that he needed to go to bed. Talk about starting an ALL OUT WAR. He through some great tantrums, but off to bed he went. I was feeling like a mean mom, so I then told him that if he woke up early he could get it done on his own. I woke up at 7 the next morning and as I am walking down the hall to start breakfast for everyone, I realize what a tough morning it is going to be when he wakes up and remembers that he didn't get his homework done. When I walk into the kitchen I see his homework sitting on the table. ALL DONE. I am so shocked because he is still in bed. I called Andy at work to find out how this could be. He informed me that Alex had woken up with him at 5 a.m., got his homework done and went back to bed. Talk about the power that a good teacher has! He would rather get up at the crack of dawn and do his homework than disappoint her. I am so grateful that he has a teacher that he really connects with and enjoys going to school. The homework battles have not disappeared, but when I tell him that it is his time to get it done with help (at a decent hour) he comes running! :)

One more thing to add...he has really been growing up these last few weeks and can be counted on to help me with his brothers. On numerous occasions I have been in the middle of something and he will go get Aaron out of his crib without being told. He gets him a snack and a drink and lifts him to the couch. He also always unbuckles him from his car seat when we have arrived at our destination and lifts him out so I don't have to. Mrs. Iverson says that he can frequently be found helping other children in the classroom. It is so much fun to watch your kids grow up and start becoming the kind of people that you hoped they would.