Leaps and bounds!

No, it’s not me leaping, or bounding. As if. In fact, knowing me I’d yawn at the wrong moment and fall flat on my face (though I could actually catch forty winks whilst down there!).

I’m talking about P. He’s had a heck of a week. Of course it’s all relative, because if we were talking about R I wouldn’t be shouting this with the level of pride I feel, as everything appears to come easy to R.

Is that wrong? To admit you treat your children differently? Well if it is, I guess it just makes me a bad mum, but keep that quiet as I don’t think the kids have figured it out yet!

Anyway back to P and why I’m feeling so proud of him. Regular readers will know, life isn’t a breeze to P. Though I should add, most of his problems are of his own making. The one thing that isn’t his fault is that he’s not very academic. In other words, not a patch on R. But as I keep reminding him, the competition isn’t with R, it’s doing the best he can – for himself.

But regular readers will also know, thanks to a small run-in I had last year with a certain teacher – who’s now headmaster(!!) – P will not be continuing at his present school when he hits the seniors. Which is more than a problem, as the only other school he can attend is very academic, and so for the last year we’ve endlessly stressed the importance of study.

And it’s paying off!

Though bloody hard work (from all of us) he was allowed into a higher maths group this week – but just for the week, to see how he does. And come the weekly test on Friday, he had the second best score out of twenty-four boys!

But that wasn’t the best! The best was he also earned his school year’s merit badge!! And it’s nothing to do with the maths class, this is awarded based on a point system which they earn for anything from homework, presentation, and politeness for things like remembering to open doors for people.

Oh heck, I know this probably doesn’t sound like much, but P’s never won anything. Never even done well before. And I’m so proud of him, largely because it’s a reflection that so many of his ‘issues’ are behind him.

It really is a weight off of my mind to know he’s growing up and starting to see the big picture. In fact a couple of months ago I lost my temper and told him a terrible truth, which was I could die tomorrow and I know my parting thought would be fear over what would become of P. No one loves him like me – which I know is what any mother can say about her children, but all my other children are loved and liked by others too. Whereas P’s never made it easy for others to feel that way about him.

But it’s all changing. One of my friends has even made a bet with me that it will be P who takes life by the horns and conquers all. Bloody hell, I hope so! And if he’s keeps working this hard, he’ll deserve it.

But onto the other horrors. J amazes me. Last night she went for her first sleepover (have to admit, this pissed P off a lot – as he didn’t go on his first sleepover until he was 7, and he just didn’t think it was right that J was allowed at 6!). There was also a school disco to start the evening off with, but it wasn’t her school and she only knew two people there.

I worried, but knew my friend Cass would look after her. J did better than that! After Cass’s daughter came out early saying she’d had enough, they had to wait for J, as she didn’t want to leave as she announced it was the best disco she’s ever been to, and was doing really well in the dancing competition.

Cass and I laughed about it today, as neither of us would have endured in such a situation. But J has such confidence, she was talking to anyone who’d listen and asking to dance with whoever was close.

Amazing. You wouldn’t think she was mine!

Oh and she got through the night with no problems either, which doesn’t surprise me, as unlike P, J doesn’t panic easily.

Onto my eldest, R, or rather ‘The Git’. I guess the teenage hormones are kicking in. The bloody attitude on him is starting to drive me nuts. What’s weird is, he still has wonderful moments! Never mind, only another eight years to go before this phase passes (I hope!)

In fairness to R, this past year has been his most challenging to date. Up until Christmas he was very lonely at his new school, and then a lad who he became friends with, seemed to spend time with R out of school, just so he could take the mickey when in school. The whole thing wasn’t easy for R, but he dealt with it well, and suffice to say R told the lad he wasn’t welcome at our house any longer. Luckily kids, being kids, they have managed to become friends at school again, but R still hasn’t invited him back here.

Not that it matters now, as R is over the moon because a new boy has started. It definitely seems to have taken the pressure off R being the new kid, and wonder of wonders they’re fast becoming best friends.

I had to laugh when R told me how great it was being mates with this boy, apparently he’s excellent at French (and as he sits next to R, this is proving beneficial to R!), and built like a brick shit house so no one picks on him.

It’s good to see R happy again, even if it does only last until we get home, whereupon he resorts to his sulks (this week because I’m making him do a cycle proficiency course on Saturday afternoons! Evil mommy that I am).

And so that leaves S, my funny little one on the end. Not much to say about her, she’s still little, still cute, and still tells me she loves me every five minutes. She’s a sweetheart, and no doubt it’ll all be downhill from here. But at least I’ll be able to read my words in a few years and dimly recall such a time!

Plus… I’m broody. Really broody. I know it would be a medical impossibility, but medicine can do wonderful things these days. Of course the BH isn’t so enamoured. Thinks I’m mad actually. Says he doesn’t want to be a dad at forty-five, that by the time the child’s twenty, it won’t be fair that he’ll be sixty-five.

I guess when he puts it like that, I can see sense. And it’s not like I’m coping marvellously with the ones I’ve got. But still… I miss babies. And everyone seems to be having babies again, and as S is five, I’d cope better than I did with three under five. But then, where would we put a fifth? And we can’t afford a fifth. And I hated the pregnancies. In fact I know I’m being silly. But still…

I guess if I’m thinking like this, today must have been a good day!