Under-arming out of public places

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This may sound silly, but sometimes I feel like articles and books find their way to me at the absolute most perfect moment. As if they somehow knew that I needed them.

Yesterday, I attended a robotics lecture and demonstration with the kids. They loved it! The three sat, mesmerized, for the entire lecture. Leo sometimes doesn’t like to stray too far from me at events but there he was… right up front, mouth agape, sitting still (well, still for him). He raised his hand multiple times in response to questions. He also asked a couple of his own thoughtful questions. He appeared to be having a wonderful time and was acting quite mature.

And then it was time for all the children to try out the robots.

Seuss loved when the robot bounced off of his crocs.

Let me preface this by saying that Leo’s goal this past year in Kindergarten was: Leo hopes to get better at waiting.

Leo is still working on this goal.

Leo and almost every other child in the room got in line to use the coolest of the robots. That line was very long. Meanwhile, Seuss, T, and I chose a much shorter line (read: our robot was not nearly as cool). I could see Leo on the other side of the room, bouncing and squirming in the line for the coolest of robots, with an unpleasant look on his face. Then, I could see from his face that the whining had started. I couldn’t actually hear the whining because of all the robot and kid noises, but I know whining when I see it.

Then it was time for Seuss to use the (not as cool) robot. He loved it! He giggled the entire time. Leo saw this and zoomed over to us, shouting, “LET ME HAVE A TURN NEXT! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOOOOOO LOOOOOOOONG!”

Leo has one volume setting when excited and that volume is very, very LOUD.

I calmly explained to him that he would have to wait his turn. T was next and there were several other children in line after her. This elicited more whining, more jumping around, and tears.

I could tell this was not going to go well.

T had her turn, amid the whining. T and Seuss were having a ball! Leo managed to wait (not patiently) for his turn with the not as cool robot that we had used. When it was his turn, he wasn’t satisfied. He didn’t find the controls to be user-friendly. He didn’t like the features that this particular robot had to offer. He wanted to use the other, much cooler, robot.

So he got in line (again!) for the coolest of the robots. The line was even longer than it had been the first time. The whining and jumping increased substantially.

And then… he lost it.

Parents out there… Remember those 2-year-old and 3-year-old tantrums? With the screaming and tears and flopping to the ground in a fit of rage? Well, we still have them. Sure, they aren’t as frequent, but he is six years old. I am told that this is not uncommon among this population. Overexcitabilities and asynchrony and all that stuff. He has the intellect of someone years older than his small body but his emotional maturity is that of a six-year-old, or maybe even a little younger. It’s a huge divide. I get it, and I even understand it, but…

You still can’t act like that in public.

So what did I do? I did what I usually do on these occasions: I under-armed him the hell outta there. It was a loud car ride home, let me tell you. I always tell Schizz I need those Bose noise-canceling headphones.