At first I said I wasn’t at all surprised by Tater’s referral to the gifted program at school. I know he’s smart. I’ve always known he’s somewhat ahead of his peers. I figured this day would come. But the truth is, I am surprised. When I look back on where we were just three months ago, I’m downright shocked. Tater has come so far from the boy who started second grade with a bang….terrorizing teachers and classmates alike with his increasingly hyperactive and defiant behavior. We were struggling as a family just to keep things together and not kill each other.
Now? Tater asked Santa for math workbooks for Christmas. His most favorite gift (after the trip to Disney World, of course) was a game of chess. A game he picked up instantly and remains the undefeated champion of in our home. He does multiplication for fun and prefers reality shows about snakes, bugs, and critters over cartoons.
And he was referred by his teacher to be evaluated for the gifted program. He still has FOUR DAYS! of testing to pass before he actually gets into the program and I’m well aware of the chance that he may not get in. The referral alone is such a huge accomplishment though.
While I’m immeasurably proud of Tater for this, I am also proud of myself and Dick. Last fall was incredibly hard on us as parents and as spouses. We took our frustrations at Tater’s behavior out on each other because it was better than focusing our anger on our seven-year-old. We argued and fought and yes, even tried to blame each other. But when the chips were down we stepped up and did what we had to do for our child. We made the hard changes and we stuck to them. We recognized and admitted our own faults and took steps to correct them. Most of all, we were consistent.
The three of us have become closer than we have ever been. We work together and we play together. We fight, laugh, cry and celebrate. Together. We’re no longer three individuals. We are a unit….a team…a family.
My cup runneth over.
ALL 3 OF YOU should be very proud of the accomplishments………Marriage is a struggle in itself. Throw in child that is struggling to find “normalcy”, and you have immediate chaos, The hardest thing to do is admit that your child may not be perfect. That doesn’t mean that things are a lost cause,,,,,,,,it means that your family unit has to work harder than most to make life manageable. It also means that the rewards you reap will be greater than anyone could ever imagine. Because you and David (a.k.a. Dick) know just how HUGE even the small accomplishments are…….and most of all, you can see how genuinely happy, truly deep down inside happy Tayce is, how he feels when he realizes that he DOES fit in, and that he is OK. What an amazing feat…….what an amazing job the two of you have done to make Tayce’s life the best that it could possibly be…….keep up the good work…..:)