Milestone: He Told Me About His Day

Today, Ryan told me about his day for the first time.

I always ask him about school, as specifically as I can: What did you sing in music today? At lunchtime did you play inside or outside? Who did you play with? Sometimes, with prompting (usually only if I already know the answer), he can answer one of these questions.

Today I asked him a couple of pointed questions based on the notes his teacher had sent home (“Can you teach me a song about Martin Luther King?”) and I got nothing. Then, I asked him “Can you tell me what you did at school today while we wait for your snack to be ready?”

And he answered.

He said, “I played on the computer, went to music, and came home.”

I expressed my shock and delight. This is the most he has EVER told me about his day.

And then he added the bit that brought me to tears: “But not all of them does not make me happy.” [translation: But not everything made me happy.]

You get this, right? He not only reported on events – dayenu! – but he told me how he felt about those events.

Not really expecting an answer, I asked him what did make him happy.

“Playing on the computer at the end of the day!”

Holy crap.

“Wow! And what game did you play?” (Are we really having a conversation? Could he possibly have an answer for this one, too?)

“Jumping Frogs!”

Wow. I don’t know what Jumping Frogs is, but Ryan says he played it and it made him happy, so that’s my new favorite computer game.

Then I really pushed my luck. “And what made you sad?” I asked this a couple of different ways, and then Ryan said:

“They made me cry in the hall.”

Follow-up questions provided no clarification, so I don’t know what that’s all about, but I can proudly tell you the following: My son went to school today, where he went to music, cried in the hallway, and enjoyed playing a computer game about jumping frogs, and then he came home.

So, for the milestone chart: Age 7, answers questions about his day.

Given enough time, there’s nothing our kids can’t do.

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TheRyanFiles

The Ryan Files

My kid is great! And he has PDD-NOS and ADHD (e-i-e-i-o). The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Watch us navigate the world of neurodiversity at http://notanaffliction.blogspot.com/