Kiss My Knits!

Em’s been telling us all week that she has a winter program at school tonight. The school sent something home about it too that I didn’t look at too closely, since I thought I knew all about it already. Today I found out that the winter program is actually for fifth graders. Em’s in fourth grade, and their program will be later in the season.

Apparently Em just wanted to be in tonight’s program so badly that she was telling us (and everybody) that she was going to be in it. I finally figured it out when she wrote “FIFTH GRADE PROGRAM” in her planner and then told me she was the only fourth grader in it. I then asked her to tell me the truth, because I needed to know so I knew whether to take her up there early, was she going to be in the program? She started backtracking. “Well, it might be true. I might be in it. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be in it.” We finally got down to the truth. You wouldn’t think a kid with autism who has trouble with language would have such a desire to be on the stage, but she really does.

She really wants to go up and watch the fifth grade program. That’ll be tricky, since we’ve got math this afternoon and homework tonight. The program is at 6:15 and she’s usually tuckered out and ready for bed by 8. However, she really, really wants to go, so if we can make the timing work, I’ll get the joy of going up and watching a bunch of 10-year-olds whom I don’t know perform “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder.

The things we do for our children.

ETA: It wasn’t that bad. Also, they gave out raffle tickets to students. Em got hers, and put it in my pocket and didn’t want to look at it. Then when they started calling the numbers, she very dejectedly said, “I don’t want to win anything.” Then midway through they called out her number. She shot out of her chair as if she’d been fired from a gun. She walked doublespeed up the aisle to claim her prize, a yellow plastic water bottle.

Em doesn’t like uncertainty and disappointment, so she always steels herself for the worst. But secretly, inside, she always hopes for the best. That’s my girl.