The day of the concert Barrett had his worst behavioral day in class to date. I kind of saw this coming, but had no idea how to head it off. He expresses anxiety in different ways, anger, silliness, loudness, and stubborn refusal to adhere to normal expectations. He has an amazing teacher that truly goes the extra mile to teach to each kid's uniqueness, but on this day she had to draw a line and she told me later she felt like she'd crushed his little heart when she moved his friend away from his table. I assured her his heart was not crushed and he was simply reacting to the situation in a way that might benefit himself. Big crocodile tears are a Barrett trademark. He calls Mrs. Bolt his "other mom", and there was no love lost when the boundaries were drawn, I assure you.
Fortunately, he didn't put up a fight over the outfit I chose for him.
Isn't he a handsome little guy?
We arrived on time to the concert venue and we squeezed in a quick picture with his "other mom". You can see his face is not at all excited to be there.
I'll smile, but I refuse to look at you.
Can you find him?
Look to the right, three rows up.
I found out after the concert why he didn't put up a fight over the sweater. He took it off as soon as I left the library, but his "other mom" made him put it back on! Haha! I love her, she gets me. And, even more importantly, she gets Barrett.
I believe once he got over the anticipatory nerves he really did enjoy himself. He loves to sing and he seemed genuinely joyful while on stage. By about the fourth song I could hear his voice above the other kids and we were way in the back. It was a great experience for him to be brave and to learn he can do hard things!
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