Well Beth turned 17 in the holidays. We did our usual catchup with Jessica and Erin who she went to primary school with. They went to the movies to see Zootopia. I let them go alone. Firstly because I didn’t want to pay to see a movie I wasn’t all that fussed about. Secondly because I think it was good for Beth to have some sort of independence, even if it really meant that the other girls were in charge. I’ve been doing that a little bit lately. Going to the gym, telling Beth she’s in charge, then telling Bill or Bridie that they are. She likes the title of older sister and boss even though she doesn’t actually do anything! She had a lovely birthday in the end. We finally got her the turtle we meant to get her last birthday, and another one added in as we bought the whole lot from ebay. So we now have new members of the family. Beth’s turtle is called Jess – from New Girl, and Bridie and Bill’s turtle is called Mr Turtle- from My Name is Earl. We are a tv watching family as you have probably already figured out by now!
Beth has been pretty good with her new exercises. She doesn’t particularly like doing them so it’s slow and steady. There are a few. There is one when she had to have her left hand and right leg out, and alternate with the others. Like marching really but more like a hippo dancing at the moment! We ( as I do it with her) aren’t terribly graceful on our feet.) She also has to breathe while doing it, in and out through her mouth. She gets confused with this breathing and smiling so when I tell her to breathe she keeps smiling wide as if for a photo, but not breathing! But she is getting better at it. And this is just number 1, they get harder. She also has to follow a pencil with her eyes, up and down, side to side, round and round, also to make her cross eyes. I think she finds this difficult, she says it makes her dizzy. Again though she seems to be getting into a rhythm and is breathing in time with the rotations. She has to tap her fingers on the table, one hand at a time, one finger at a time. Other hand must be still. Breathing AND blinking for those ones. Blinking was another difficult thing to master, doing it on cue meant scrunching up her forehead and the aim of the exercises is to have no tension. But again, she’s getting there. Last one is drawing shapes in a line. Rounded ones. Sort of like joined ‘o’s, firstly starting with the joins at the top, next like back from right to left, then joins at the bottom, then figure 8s. Never letting the pen leave the paper in each line. I was amazed yesterday. First day back at school, no kicking up and happy enough to go. Then she came out of school with a piece of paper. She had done the writing exercises during class! I never asked her to and in fact said we would do that one when she got home. We’re building up to 3 times a day but the writing one is just once a day. I was so pleased with her! There is also a meditation thingy that I have but we haven’t done that yet. I think it will be slow going but it will be worth it.
So, she’s been rather argumentative these holidays. She lost her tablet privileges once because she carried on so much. It was nothing much really but it never is is it? She was watching reruns of The Middle and Bridie sat down to watch with her. Beth kept rewinding it and replaying a line over and over so she was asked to stop and she wouldn’t. I said it was Bridie’s turn for the remote so Beth cracked it and went to her room. Then Bridie was watching it alone but Beth could hear it so she kept coming out, saying it was her turn, saying it was her show, you get the drift. In the high pitched ‘I am the boss, I am 17, I can do what I want’ voice that I love so much. So restrictions were threatened and followed through with much to her disgust. On the holidays we went to an appointment and while she was waiting her turn she played on her tablet. She saw that wifi was available so asked for the password. I said that no, she could play without wifi, we weren’t at a friends but at an appointment and she could just deal. Well she carried on for a while, even with me reminding her that I would indeed follow through with a ban if she kept going. Then all of a sudden she was quiet and playing nicely. I said thankyou and well done and she said ‘you didn’t need to take my tablet away this time did you, I was a good girl.’ By jove, I think she’s got it! Another amazing development!
I was emptying out her bag last night and there’s a notice which is for drivers ed at her school. What the? She won’t be driving, at least not until she’s a grown up in her 30s I would imagine. Friend’s kids have done it though and it sounds like a lot of fun. So I think it’s a bit exciting for her. I will play on the fact that it means she’s a responsible girl. She knows that now she’s 17 she has to step up and be an almost adult and I think she likes the idea of that. Still, I’d love to be a fly on the wall of the car!
