(Any (parent of an) Elmo fan will recognize that title.)

Jared turned 5 yesterday!

Something happened in the last week or so, after his early party as he looked forward to his birthday. Finally when I picked him up at school he would run out to me, instead of being sulking in a corner or screaming at someone. Finally he wasn’t saying he hated school every day. (That only lasted about 2 weeks thank goodness - I got the teachers involved as soon as I heard that.)

Teacher Nancy met with Jared for a good hour last week. She told him that pre-k and nursery school are important so he can learn how to make his feelings stronger. Just like he exercises to make his muscles stronger, he has to practice making his feelings strong too so he can deal with other people and problems well. This really resonated with him. They made 2 lists, one of things he can think about when he’s feeling blue and one of things he can do when something he doesn’t like is happening (screaming and moping weren’t on the list).

I like to have him draw a picture of how he’s feeling when he’s mopey or moody and that works pretty well. We have also tried dribbling a basketball and other physically calming actions which have surprisingly been less successful.

The important thing is that he’s coping better, and he’s learning methods to help him when it’s rough.

I remember Kristin Alvarez, a mom at ECPC, telling me that turning 5 is like a magic switch. At the time her oldest of 3 was in kindergarten and we were trying to decide whether to start Ethan in kindergarten at age 4 or 5. 4 was a REALLY hard year for Ethan, and it has been for Jared too. Ethan’s “recovery” toward sanity and out of tantrums was gradual. Jared’s was like a magic switch.