week two Taekwondo..................

Well Tristen was eager to get to his class this week. He really enjoyed it last week. He had a very good week at school. I think this higher dose of Concerta is helping. He still had a little problem in gym but by the end of the week he got a good report even from that class. Maybe we are on the right track. He does not seem to be having too many side effects so far. We have had a couple of nights that were very difficult getting him to sleep. The doctor prescribed some over the counter medication to help with that but I am not going to start on that road. Not unless its an absolute necessity. I mean we all could use some help sometimes. I just baulk at the thought of using drugs, safe or not unless its extreme circumstances. I hate that he is taking Concerta but if he is to get an education then this does seem (for now) to be the answer. Maybe as he matures he may gain some self control. It's hard for a wee one who is barely 6.

This way we can work on self discipline and he can actually listen. I had been talking about his first lesson and how he needs to slow down and be accurate rather than fast in his moves. He seemed more relaxed and eager to learn this week. He was certainly giving the teacher his full attention and was eager to learn. Now if we can get that attitude in his school room we will be all set. With a quieter mind perhaps that will happen too.?

He is lucky in as much as his current teacher has a son who has simular issues so she understands. I also spoke to his Fathers mum, she said David had the same issues as a boy. Well David was not very able to control himself. Alex (Tristens mum) had a restraining order out on him at one point because David had kicked her in the stomach while she was pregnant. I knew David and liked him, no one else did I might add. I understood he had issues and did some dumb things. He stole money from us and from his friends. For this and other reasons he is not in Tristens life right now. I am in contact with his mother though. She adores Tristen. No reason she should not have contact, she did nothing wrong.

Tristen got to meet her when she was in town this summer. He takes it all in stride (as far as we can tell) My hope is that some day David will have matured and may be the kind of man that Tristen can welcome as his father. He has lost his Mother but maybe some day?

We would love to adopt Tristen but his granddad Dan does not want that. He is afraid that if anything happens to us that Tristen would be cut off from his side of the family. I understand his fear but that would not happen. We may pursue the adoption anyway. I am still concidering this. I have people to contact and advice to get yet. The thing is Alex did not want Dan to have Tristen and neither did David. For many reasons. Laura, his grandmother (my daughter) has never been in a position to have him and so we have agreed that his auntie Laura is the obvious choice should anything befall both of us. He spends every other weekend with her and its the obvious place for him at this point.

Some day, and hopefully we will live long enough, he will be able to choose for himself. Meanwhile we do the best we can. I am hoping that we can do a lot more with Tristen this winter, like ice skating maybe and get out in the snow. Brrrrrr...........then in Spring we will sign him up for soccer, another sport that should help with discipline. If things go well he will continue in Taekwondo and swimming lessons until he excells at both.