"Let's not tell L. all about our plans to move to California, okay? Let's just keep that between us for now. You can tell me all about it, but let's not tell your girlfriend, L."
"Okay," he agreed.
Picked him up from school one day and first words out of his mouth were, "Well, I told L. all about moving to California. She's down with it."
For the next 24-hours it was all about L. and her family and all the things and people they would bring when we moved to California.
Jenn came out to my car on Friday while I was waiting for Rojo and said, "I guess L. got a little freaked out about being told Rojo was going to marry her when she finished college, and they would be moving to California."
L. is fairly new to the school, and only in 5th grade. She does not know Rojo's whole gig. Frankly, if my 5th grade daughter came home and told me some 8th grade boy told her he was going to marry her, move her to California and have three boys: Alexander, Michael and Brandon, I'd freak out myself! Because there are no accidents, L.'s dad was handy right that minute that I heard about this, so I explained the whole thing to him and all is well.
Here's the thing, though, Rojo spent a good portion of his time in the Resource Room telling his teacher and aide about his big plans. He said things like, "L.s brother can come, too, you don't leave your siblings behind." He made enough "siblings left behind" comments that the astute Resource Room teacher figured out what was under all this talk of California. "Rojo," she asked, "are you worried about Woohoo going to college?"
"Yes!" he answered immediately.
"Because you are going to miss her?"
"Yes! I am going to miss her!"
I explained the whole thing to STM and he said, "Wouldn't it be nice if he could just say, 'I'm anxious about Woohoo going to college, I'll miss her,' instead of talking in riddles?"
I've been down Wouldn't It Be Nice Road so many times I no longer need a map. And let me tell you, it goes nowhere.
Every time.
13 comments:
Thank the dear Lord for astute Resource Room teachers.
WooooHooo!
Oh, and -- maps are overrated.
Whew. I love it when mysteries are solved. I love it when people (i.e., dad's of fifth grade girls) are understanding. I love when...in spite of all experience and evidence to the contrary...we can still hope for "wouldn't it be nice if...."
Love.
xo
MO'N
There are Safeways and Trader Joes in CA, just so you know. One of each in walking distance of my dad's apartment. In case it comes up again.
I love the way you tell a story, a slice of life. So simply yet so powerfully --
It is amazing how she deduced that! Sibling separation anxiety has always been rough for Nigel too.
I think Rojo is RIGHT--you guys need to move to California, and we will, too, and then we can have coffee like the old days!
I lived with a man who spoke in riddles for many years, it wears a person down. I'm thinking though, that I have my own share of riddles that I need to address and speak more plainly.
None of us are so different from Rojo. I often don't know what's bothering me either
The thing is - the more complicated the puzzle is, the more satisfaction one gets from solving it. And yet....
I love this. The story, the way the mystery was solved, the little bit of insight into Rojo's thinking. It's a reminder to us all to look behind the behavior, to think about what fears or worries might be at the roots.
So now I wonder whether his tune will change, or if now that he's on that track he'll stay on it regardless, or whether, in fact, the connection was obvious to him all along. Did you talk to him about it at all?
You are, as always, doing a great job.
What a great story this is - a mystery of the first order, solved in the best way. I wonder if Rojo's need to tell the story will diminish now that the truth has been discovered.
I agree with Jerri about overrated maps.
Love to you.
I'm betting that Woohoo is quite flattered by all of this. What a sweet, sweet boy you have, my friend, and such a lovely group of people around him to help figure out the riddles.
As for the "wouldn't it be nice" thoughts, if that were true, you wouldn't have any fun stories to tell!
My eldest daughter has done the riddle thing for years too...it is just her way of protecting herself, same as Rojo...and no matter how many times we ask her to just tell us what she wants/is thinking she has to use subterfuge (and she does understand the difference)...My younger one on the other hand just came out and told me point blank the other day that there is NO WAY we should even consider allowing her older sister to go to college out of state. Either way, there is no truly helpful map for child rearing no matter what your child's abilities or personality type... really at this point I'd prefer a gps anyway.
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