There's a Bear in My Frigidiare

 James and I have been reading and discussing "Shel" lately.  In fact it has led me to some "ahh ha" moments as far as what's going on in his head.  He's a tough nut to crack when it comes to tough topics. Like why he cries about school every night before going to bed. Like why sometimes it's ok for him to hear Matt and I have disagreements.  Like why spending his Bday $ on Hog Wash is not a good idea.

Last nights breakdown had to do with his report card coming home and what happens if he "gets checks."  I'm lying there reassuring him that checks are normal that I am covered with "checks" and without checks there would have been no Einstein, no MLK, no (gasp) Cutler.  That when you are covered with checks there are so many possibilities.  Possibilities that pluses cannot imagine.

Then these words rang true:



So. I. stopped. talking. and. just. LISTENED. I listened through the tears and the won'ts and cant's. I let him just talk.  Then the tears stopped and he asked for another poem.  We laughed at how Shel uses spaghetti and I decided spaghetti hair could be great, because I could wear it to work then serve it for dinner.  MMmmm

Today when his report card came home and he saw how checks from 1st quarter grew into pluses he beamed. I sighed and smiled and asked what he was going to work on for next quarter and he studied the 2nd quarter collumn and discovered that the checks meant he had had room to grow.  So I told him I had a few checks that I am working on myself. 

"Well, I have soome ideas for you if you ever run out of your own." he said. 

It seems to me listening to each other is working both ways.