Kindergarten Update

Some mornings Caitlin wakes up and is ready to go and others are like this morning. I have an alarm clock in her room set for 6:30. By 6:40, she wasn't up so I went up there. The music was playing and she had her blanket over her head. I kept moving her and telling her it was time to get up. She said, "But my brain is telling me it is still time to sleep." Funny girl!

Anyway, she struggled with the first week of school. The teacher gives them a daily grade of how well they listened and behaved. They start on green each day and throughout the day may be moved down to yellow, then brown and then black, if they are really bad. Last Monday, she was Green. Tuesday she was Yellow. Wednesday she was Brown. Thursday and Friday she was on black. We were so frustrated by the end of the week. We consistently took away all the things she loved. By Thursday, she had lost her blankie, TV and movies, her stuffed animals, Nintendo DS, etc. We didn't let her go play with anyone and any time she asked to do something fun, we told her not until she was better at school. We talked with her teacher and she said that Caitlin just had a really hard time focusing and also not talking. Neither one surprises me. She is a motor mouth and at home when we have her go do something, she sets off with good intentions, but usually gets sidetracked. So we've really been drilling her on listening and doing first. Whatever we say to do, do it immediately, before anything else.

This week, we were crossing our fingers. Monday, I got a call from Caitlin around 2:30 and she told me she had stayed on Green all day. I was so relieved and told her how proud of her I was. She said, "Mom, I really tried my best." So Monday, we definitely gave her some positive reinforcement. Rusty took her to Sonic for a slushie, one of her new favorite treats. She got to play her DS, watch a show, go to the YMCA to play with her friend Alli, slept with her blankie and got her stuffed animals back.

Yesterday, I get another phone call around 2:30. She had done it again. Green all day! I think now that she knows what is expected from her, she is more likely to do it. We told her if she could get green all week, we would take her to Chuck E Cheese. So that's what she's working towards. We'll see. Hopefully, Saturday, I will be eating pizza and playing games with a big mouse. :)