A Tale of Two Finnys

We can’t say we weren’t warned…

Although Finny is really enjoying his newfound status as a kindergartener, and loving his after school daycare, the transition into the new reality has definitely been a bumpy ride. His days are long, and full of new activities, new kids, a new teacher, and of course, tons and tons of stimuli. As is his nature, he’s a very positive, happy kid. He does really well during the week and is super-enthusiastic about going to school. He’s also very chatty about what he does at school, and is proud of sharing his worksheets and art projects from class.

That said…man, at the end of the day, and especially on the weekends, he goes completely Jekyll and Hyde, and the nuclear meltdowns over minor incidents are intense and numerous. The past two Saturdays have been ROUGH. It seems to take him about a day to completely unwind from the week at school, and during those 24 hours, there is a LOT of complaining, freaking out, and grumpiness. He’s got a hair-trigger, and when Henry runs afoul of him (for instance, by playing with one of Finny’s previously-ignored toys) or when he gets frustrated, he just turns into a crying, screaming wreck. And it takes him a looooong time to work it out of his system.

We’re all doing our best, and John and I both let Finny know that it’s ok to get frustrated or feel tired/sad/angry, but it’s not OK to just let it rip on everyone in your path. And we know that Finny doesn’t enjoy these episodes, either…and that he’ll work his way through them eventually. So goes any transition to a “new normal,” right? Right?!