Oh,
LadyM, I don't think you're being naive at all -- I wasn't being critical in anyway with my musing on children and freedom, etc. Not at all! I think it sounds like you live in the absolute ideal place to be able to give DS10 enough freedom to build his confidence and he still knows he has something of a security net all around, if he should ever be out of your sight and need adult assistance.
DS here once walked home from school, a couple miles I guess, along the busy state highway with NO SIDEWALK -- b/c he couldn't find dh at school and thought dh had left!
It was a day when I had taken off to go to a doctor's appt or something. It scared dh and me to death!!! DS was probably in middle school, and he actually refused a ride with a a friend who happened to see him walking along, a teacher/parent of one of the boys he had played ball with, b/c he said he thought he wasn't supposed to get in the car with someone. I'm pretty sure he knew she was his teammate's mom, though; it wasn't like she was a total stranger. Oh my goodness. We were sooo upset. I mean, this is a heavily trafficked road -- at that time it was a major route for logging trucks! * whew *
Also, when ds started playing JV football in 8th grade, I was so nervous, but dh said he was in more danger in the car coming home from school than he was on the football field. I'm sure statistically that is true.
Raising children isn't easy. That's the truth.
And
Elizabeth... she may be saying more words than I give her credit for -- today, she said
something -- full sentence, but I couldn't understand the words -- when it was time for dgs and me to leave. Yes, yes, I would LOVE a second opinion but apparently all her doctors just seem a lot more concerned with the arthritis than the vocabulary skills. I asked ddil today and she said the rheumatologist had nothing to say re: speech development (and ddil didn't ask. SIGH. ) DDIL and DS just think that she doesn't get much chance to talk because dgs keeps a steady commentary going practically 24/7. Of course, it may help a little now that he is in school during the day.
There is definitely a limit to what I can say or do as the grandma. I've been fussed at for overstepping my bounds before... so all I can do right now is just pray about it and trust that maybe when she starts preschool * hopefully in Dec or Jan * then either (1) more time with kids her age will bring her out and she will start talking OR (2) the preschool teachers will refer her for speech therapy.
I'm sure y'all all remember how frantic I was for dgs to talk. Oh my... tonight during and after supper, he gave dh and me a full review of the 45 presidents of the USA, marching in as they came to office, marching out as they left office, and falling to the ground for those who were assassinated or died in office.
I had said I would never complain about dgd NOT talking, after seeing how HE has made up for lost time... but I
am beginning to think this is ridiculous.
Dmom's foot is still awfully red and swollen, but only the second toe causes any pain. Her neurologist today said the antibiotics should help, but "we can't make them work faster than they work." So -- even though he's not the foot doctor -- it was reassuring to her to see him and not have him call an ambulance b/c he suspected gangrene or anything!
It was a fairly long day -- picked up dgs around 11:00 and we were back home around 3:30, but I put a load of clothes in the washer and cooked supper and s/s the kitchen. Need to go do something with the wet clothes now...
(((
Kathryn))) Oh my goodness! That DOES sound painful. Take it easy and pamper yourself for a few days!
A$$ over teakettle... that's a new expression for me...
Small town fairs... yes! We try to always go to ours and the one in Next Town. Theirs is in Sept but ours is not until Oct. DH was saying that seemed late to him, possibly will start having some cooler weather at night. It would be very strange indeed if it were uncomfortably cold by then, though. Should be good weather, actually.
I certainly hope all these college ballgames are at night through September... it certainly is not cool in south Alabama on a September afternoon.
Okay... those clothes aren't going to jump out of the washer on their own... I've given them EVERY opportunity.