We went to the opening of “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” put on by Childsplay (it plays through May 25 at Tempe Center for the Arts). I looked back at my kids several times during the show. My daughter smiled a lot. It was funny. My son watched with a serious face much of the time - he thought the kids were mean to poor Alexander. But he also smiled at the silliness at times.
Both kids would recommend their friends see it. I thought it was cute.
As I watched, I couldn't help but think of all those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days my son has had - particularly in second grade. He would refuse to participate in class and slow to finish (if at all) his school work, and I heard about it often. And he didn’t have many friends for support.
At the time we didn't know he had several issues going on. His teacher thought he was just unfocused an urged us to get him tested for ADHD. My pediatrician said before we do that we should check him for learning disabilities. (It's a long, frustrating story...but in the end we found out he had two learning disabilities on top of an already diagnosed speech delay, ADHD-inattentive and social anxiety).
Since his diagnosis, he's had fewer bad days and he really enjoys his teachers. We think his team really cares about his success now.
His IEP now reflects who he is, so he gets additional help in reading and is part of a social skills group. He's becoming more outgoing, but he's still very shy about making friends. (We’re
going to have a video game party for him to help.)
And at least now I think that his bad days are more about him not getting to watch the show or play the video game he wants. That's a lot better than the old days when bad days were filled with feeling terrified about doing a report in front of the class or missing recess because he didn't finish his work.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
We, too, saw Childsplay's
We, too, saw Childsplay's Alexander, and my 9-year-old laughed out loud through most of it. The book is one of our favorites, and it was fun to see it put to music. As usual, the Childsplay actors did a fine job, with plenty of giggles for kids and their grown-ups. Plus, the Tempe Performing Arts Center is a lovely setting, and there's not a bad seat in the place. They just announced their line up for the coming year; there's a lot to look forward to.
Karina Bland is raising her 9-year-old son in Tempe with a lot of love, humor and support from her friends and family. A longtime journalist covering child welfare and education issues for The Arizona Republic, she blogs about raising good kids.
I'd love to go see it. How
I'd love to go see it. How old do you think your child should be? Thanks for letting us get to know you a little better. It's nice to know that everyone has those terrible days, and that things do get better!
Brooke Romney is an unbalanced mom of three young boys who constantly has too much to do, and too little time. She writes the Mom Beat column for The Gilbert Republic.
My daughter is 8. But I saw
My daughter is 8. But I saw several younger kids. My feeling is 4 and older, though, is probably best for everyone.
The key is can you child stay focused/seated for about 40 minutes? If they can, they'll do fine. There's an intermission for bathroom breaks and snacks, too.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.