Max

Well I gave an update on Bryce so I thought I'd give an update on Max.  Max is a hard kid to describe. He is quiet beyond belief, until you get in his inner circle and then there's no keeping him quiet.  It's unfortunate that not everyone gets to see the smart, funny, amazing kid that we get to see everyday.  He asks questions constantly b/c he wants to learn everything, but he's not great at answering questions.  I usually get a one word response to my questions.  Typical guy.   On one hand he is super serious and acts well beyond six, but he can easily revert back to a toddler when he's overly tired and doesn't get what he wants. The thing I probably like most about Max is he is determined.  If he doesn't understand something at first, he will try and try until he does.  I think a lot of kids just give up, but when he can't do something it just makes him work harder.  Max is also quite the worrier.  Right now he seems to be particularly worried about college, which is totally normal for a six year old.  I don't know how this started, but he wanted to know what the best school in the country was, b/c he decided he wanted to go there.  He also saw Notre Dame on tv and thought that might be a cool school to go to b/c it's close to grandma and grandpa and it would make uncle Chad pretty happy.   He is very confused that he might not live with mommy and daddy when he goes to college.  Last night he was obviously thinking about college and asked when he went to college if he would get the weekends off.  I said yes, you don't have to go to class but you might have homework.  He wanted to know if he could come home and visit on the weekends.  I told him of course.  But then he thought about it.  So he said, Well if I don't come home, would I get to play with my friends on the weekend?  I told him he would.  Hmmmm.  Now he was torn.  So he asked, 'Well mommy what if I came home every other weekend?  Would that give you enough time to play with me?'  What a sweet kid, thinking about mommy.  After we settled that he could go to bed.


I worry a lot about Max.  Probably because he's our first and I don't get to be with him every day and I don't know what really goes on in Kindergarten.  I think I've probably mentioned that I really worry that he's going to be picked on.  I think Michael got inside my head b/c he was picked on when he was little.  Anyway Max often plays the victim so I know I only get part of the story when he tells me about what happens at school.  This is a conversation we had a while a go that I still think is hysterical.

Me: How was school today?
Max: Not good.
Me: Why?
Max:  I got tackled twice at recess.

My heart starts beating a little faster as I worry some kid is hurting my baby.

Me: Who tackled you?
Max: I don't know.  It happened so fast.
Me: And they did it twice?
Max: Yes
Me: Did you tell them to stop?
Max: No they were gone when I got up.
Me: And you didn't do anything to them?
Max: No I was just standing there.

Hmmmmm.  So I tried to play it cool, but I'm sure I totally failed.  I want to protect my baby but I can't.  So I thought I'd revisit this later.  A couple of hours later this is the conversation we had.

Max: Ian got to bring a football at recess today for a prize.
   And then it clicks.
Me: Max, did you play football at recess today?
Max: Yes.
Me:  And you have no idea why you got tackled?
Max:  Well it was supposed to be 2 hand touch.

This child loves to make me worry for no reason.