Passages
My son knelt before the altar. Pastor placed his hands on Adam's head and said:
"Adam, the almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and of the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with His grace to life everlasting."
Pastor then read Adam's confirmation verse (Philippians 1:6b).
"He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
__________________________
Peter celebrated and mourned his seventh birthday. He thoroughly enjoyed the birthday gifts and cake, and the feeling of being more mature. "When I'm seven, I'm not going to have tantrums anymore!"
The next day, he felt terrible and launched into a deafening fit. When I reminded him that he was too old now to yell, his "I hate . . ." phrase shifted.
At the top of his lungs, he screamed, "I hate being seven!"
Step 2
Madeline Hunter's teaching model for PI (post-institutionalized) children continues:
Inform the child "what he will be able to do by the end of the instruction, and why that accomplishment is important, useful, and relevant to present and future life situations."
The child needs to know the objective of an activity and why it is important. Communicating this information to a child with language processing difficulties is not easy, however.
Hunter's suggestions include minimizing the number of words, speaking slowly, and using easy, simple terminology. Employing multiple modalities also helps: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.
She also recommends starting with a related concept that the child already understands and building on that idea. This is called creating an "external structure or brain" for the child that helps them access previously-learned information as a foundation for new ideas.
Many Thanks
Today an angel of the Lord took a burden away. My attention can now be focused better to where it is most needed. What a blessing!
Yesterday I sang this hymn over and over to regain my composure.
Today I sing it with joy:
In Thee is gladness amid all sadness,
Jesus, sunshine of my heart.
By Thee are given the gifts of heaven,
Thou the true Redeemer art.
Our souls Thou wakest, our bonds Thou breakest;
Who trusts Thee surely has built securely;
He stands forever: Alleluia!
Our hearts are pining to see Thy shining,
Dying or living to Thee are cleaving;
Naught can us sever: Alleluia!
Since He is ours, we fear no powers,
Not of earth nor sin nor death.
He sees and blesses in worst distresses;
He can change them with a breath.
Wherefore the story tell of His glory
With hearts and voices; all heav’n rejoices
In Him forever: Alleluia!
We shout for gladness, triumph o’er sadness,
Love Him and praise Him and still shall raise Him
Glad hymns forever: Alleluia!
-
Lutheran Service Book, Hymn No. 818
"What are we doing tomorrow?"
The education article in the FRUA conference materials mentions the research of Madeline Hunter, who developed a framework for teaching children who need a routine structure for learning. Her seven steps to assist these children begin with a suggestion that certainly resonates with Kola's situation.
_______________________
"Ok, Kola, be quiet now. It's time to sleep."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Yes, but only ONE question."
"What are we doing tomorrow?"
_______________________
Kola's one question never varies. Hunter's research shows that post-institutionalized children have great difficulty transitioning between activities. Mentally shifting gears is not their forte. Their brains are physically different from other children, and are not hard-wired to easily change the "road" on which their brain is "traveling."
To overcome this difficulty, one should be consistent in explaining new activities, and use timed warnings of the coming change. The calendars I draw each day for Kola give him a consistent message of his daily activities. My kids also know that five fingers mean five minutes, and I use it for their remaining time to swim, play on the computer, etc.
Another idea in the article that I hope to add to my routine is to physically prompt the child for change. This involves standing next to him and pointing to my eyes and ears as a clue for him to listen. That way he can focus better on the new activity.
For My Children
O Christ, the healer, we have come to pray for health, to plead for friends.
How can we fail to be restored when reached by love that never ends?
Grant that we all, made one in faith, in your community may find
The wholeness that, enriching us, shall reach and prosper humankind.
-
Lutheran Book of Worship, Hymn No. 360, sts. 1, 4
Structure
When lots is going on at home, it feels good to be objective here.The education article identifies predictable structure as the key to teaching children who are post-institutionalized. Such children have difficulty generalizing information, so if the same structures, routines, and terms are used at school and at home, the child will master concepts more quickly.
We try to do this, as much as we are able.
Back
Between major discipline issues and the approach of Holy Week, it's been hard to blog. But I have a little time today.
Last summer, I ordered a conference report from FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption). One of the articles addresses the educational needs of internationally-adopted children. I found the opening sentence quite interesting:
"Children who have been institutionalized present a complex array of abilities and disabilities related to the acquisition of academic and life skills."
Abilites and disabilities. There is acknowledgement here that while difficult situations in one's life often lead to great challenges ("disabilities"), they also provide opportunities for growth ("abilities"). That's a good lesson for me to remember.
Prayer
I bind unto myself today the pow'r of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech, his heav'nly host to be my guard.
-
Lutheran Service Book No. 603, st. 3
Four Years Later, The Answer I Now Give
Mom: "
Name, please do
such-and-such."
Child: "Why?"
Mom: "Because I said so!"
The Stahlke Version
Happy birthday to you!
Cha-cha-cha!
Happy birthday to you!
Cha-cha-cha!
Happy birthday to Kola!
Cha-cha-cha!
Happy birthday to you!
Cha-cha-cha!
Oo-la-la!
Flying pizzas!
Where? Splat in
Kola's hair!With a seventh birthday in a few weeks, there's hardly another topic floating around when Kola's in the room. He did ask me, though, to use "Peter" when we sing to him on his birthday, since "Kola is a weird name." I had wondered when he would request his English name. It's years ahead of the time it took the other kids.
First Sign of Spring
Tender green shoots from tiger lilies are emerging from the soil in our flower beds. What a wonderful sight!
A Small Car
When I cart children around in our Cavalier rather than the van, the tighter space makes for more bickering between the kids. Dakota helped me immensely today by sitting between David and Kola. Based on his good results with them, Dakota will enjoy more frequent trips in the future.
More Alphabet Soup
MP3
DS
DVD
FM
USB
FB
PSP
PS2
CD
IPOD
Bah! Humbug!
Sensitivity
For Kola, swear words are terms like "underwear" and "little dummo." I'm sure that will change soon enough as he hears real expletives.
In his repeated tantrums, Kola usually screams at Jonathan or me that we are "little dummos." Jonathan decided to turn the tables. David, Kola, and I were eating at the dining room table as Jonathan said goodbye from the living room. He affectionately called out to the boys, "Bye, little dummos!" It was so funny that I couldn't resist cracking a smile.
Having heard the goodbye AND seen my smile, Kola promptly burst into tears. David couldn't stop talking about the irony that his younger brother can dish it out but not take it!
Yet Another Holiday
Chicago is the largest Polish city outside of Poland. That means that the first Monday of every March is a holiday to commemorate General Casimir Pulaski.
Pulaski (1745-78) served as a brilliant leader in the Polish military, but was banished from his country when the king wrongly accused him of an assassination plot. Pulaski met Benjamin Franklin in Paris, where Franklin was seeking aid from the French to fight the British. Pulaski's offer to help in the war eventually led to his establishment of the first trained cavalry in U.S. history. He fought several battles for the colonies before dying of wounds received in a battle near Savannah, Georgia.
Do you think that Concordia gives a holiday on Casimir Pulaski Day? No. That means I AGAIN have child care on my day off, since Jonathan is teaching a full day of classes.
