leave my sister be

I'm the youngest of 4 siblings. We've always had an unspoken rule... we can say anything we want about each other, but nobody else is allowed to mess with us. I think that's pretty typical of most families. It is certainly a rule that I've tried to share with my kids, especially Max as the older brother. Abby is a natural defender, Max, well, not so much a natural.

Yesterday, their older cousin was tickling Abby and she was screaming (with delight - but that's irrelevant to the story...). Dan and I were sitting in the kitchen when Max loudly proclaimed "Don't you hurt my sister!" When that didn't work (because the other two were pretty caught up in their tickle fight!) Max yelled "Leave my sister be or I'm telling on you!"

I thought I might cry into my coffee (which may have ruined a good coffee - thank goodness for self-restraint).

The relationship between Max and Abby always seemed like it would be one-sided... with Abby being the initiator, the protector, the little-sister-trapped-in-a-big-sister role. Not the case, I'm pleased to report. In yet another amazing turn, Max has accessed the big-brother within, and it's made their relationship all the more wonderful to behold.

two dimensional

More and more it's hard to tell that Max has autism. He presents very much like a typical six year old. He's prone to tattling, to moments of obstinence, to somehow reaching an unreachable pitch with his whining....

He's doing well at school. Seems my anticipation of any possible negative turn has actually brought about nothing but good turns. I'm happy to shoulder all that anxiety for him. Seems like a Mummy job to me.

We got his first ever report card last week. He pretty much scored B's throughout (meeting the provincial standards). The noticeable exception?? The A he received for dance and movement... that particularly cited his skills for doing the Bird Dance and the Macarena. Seriously.

My boy can't be captured on paper. The school reports what he shows them, the skills he demonstrates. What I can't help but feel is what he allows them to see. At the parent teacher interview, his teacher passionately spoke of her intent to help him communicate what she knows he knows. I wish her much success, and little frustration!

Max is brilliant, both academically, and intuitively. He learns through integration and involvement. He shares his knowledge through engagement. Easy enough to understand, much harder to achieve. And people wonder why we need educational assistants...