sighing with relief

I am not really a glass half full person.

About eight years ago now, thou my life took a very different course from the one I had planned, wanted, expected. And sometime since then I have made a real effort to find the half full glass ( or at least some of it!). The more I practice the better I do (and probably not surprisingly the happier I am, the better my life feels, the more able I am to deal and manage life's small and big challenges) ... but still it is not a natural thing for me to look for the positive. Gaye is a very positive and forward looking no nonsense sort of person and this certainly impacts on my way of thinking about things but still I am not likely to shout from the roof if something is … you know ….good.

And so right now, you’ll understand, I am still a little hesitant about declaring how happy I feel with the decision we made to move Thomas to a new school. Gaye and I talk about it nearly everyday. We are in a constant state of amazement at the changes in him.

Ever since Grade 2 (at infant school) Thomas has started most school days with a reason why he shouldn't go to school. Sometimes it started the night before. This hasn't happened once yet in this school.

In the last few years at old school I have often asked him - what is good at school? What do you like? And the answer has always been 'lunch and playing with my friends.'

Last Thursday as we walked to school from the bus he said (without any prompting or questioning from this mother)'you know what I really look forward to Mum - language class when we do the find-a-word and I really like my maths teacher.

I made every effort to be low key (we were in the street close to school and he is in year 5 after all!) but could not help but give him a hug and tell him that was just fantastic.

He is working enthusiastically at his homework and talking about it really positively. The teachers are talking positively about his enthusiasm and friendliness that he is doing well.

I am not sure if it is a timing thing, a maturity thing, an opportunity to reinvent himself, maybe he is being stretched more (the work seems much harder but he is taking it in his stride), maybe it is because he is more settled now he lives in one home and visits his Dad rather than living across two homes, maybe it is because the school has a real philosophy of personal responsibility and expects the kids to step up (which he is) I don’t know.

All I know is that my boy from Kindergarten who embraced new things, was excited by learning, who had a go, who was happy and settled has returned.

He asked me to come out to the swimming carnival yesterday, which I did ofcourse even though it meant a lunch hour in the traffic. He was thrilled to bits to win two blue ribbons and one bronze and so chuffed to contribute 29 points to his house.

I had missed his swims but he was still glad to see me and we sat together eating hot chips and cheered and shouted on our friend Zac (who is in third grade but another house) and watched him win his race too.

So far so good at new school