I volunteered to chaperone his class to a museum. I was so surprised by how overexcited he was. He appeared to be barely in control of himself. He was very pushy, controlling, and when his expectations weren't met, he would get very angry. It isn't at all like what he is like at home. I can't tell if it was my presence that was the cause or if it was because we were at a museum. I was taken aback by it. It made me wonder if his school is a good fit and question if I should be homeschooling him because of all the emotional upheaval. I don't know if it would be better or worse.
Would it be better for hime to be alone? He likes being social and has friends. He can just be overwhelming because he likes to laugh and make others laugh. Everything is always a joke. That is how he gets by and how he makes new friends. It's great that he has that skill. He's also very creative and always has a new game to play on the playground. He tries hard to fit in, but he has no one to really talk to that understands him at school.
We know another little boy that is the same age and sometimes do playdates at the playground. Last time, something I'd never really seen happened and that was that they were TALKING…just talking! I'd never seen him just have a straight conversation with another kid his age. He was calm and not trying to make the other kid laugh or chasing him. It was amazing.
It made me really think about the social situation at school. It's something he has to learn to navigate in order to function in life. It is tearing him up inside though. He has to work on getting his emotional IQ on the same level as his IQ.
It is going to be a long road. All the book smarts in the world won't help him recognize when he is sad or have the ability to succinctly communicate how he feels. He has trouble even recognizing the differences in his body that his feelings make or naming feelings. These are all things we are going to be working on.
I hope he will have enough tools to deal these issues for when life really gets ugly or difficult. A disagreement on the playground is nothing compared to that first breakup or not getting the job/class/team he wanted. That will happen. So right now, I'm scared for him. We are doing everything we can. We are fighting for his future.
