This is a summary for Brayden from 8.5-8.75 years old.
EATING
Eating is at our new normal with Brayden eating a lot more that he did when younger.
SLEEPING
Sleeping is good. Brayden has his waves–every so often he feels some compelling need to get out of his bed several times at night. He needs to go potty. He needs to get a drink. He needs to give an extra hug. Brayden did a report on Earthquakes and during the time he was researching this report, he started getting out of bed several times each night. We went a couple of weeks of patiently talking through things and sending him back to bed.
Finally, however, I had lost the patience for nicely waiting for him to decide to stay in his bed at bedtime. I told him any time he got out of bed would lose him video games for a week. I told him that would ensure he would only get out of bed if he really needed to. I explained he needed to go to the bathroom before bed, get his drinks before bed, and get his hugs and kisses quota in before bed. The threat cured him and he never had to experience loss of video games.
An interesting thing is that once I laid down that law, he also stopped worrying about earthquakes. Once he wasn’t allowed to come out and indulge on the worry, he worked it out with himself to not be worried. He was proud after a couple of nights and told me how he had figured out how to worry about it. It was an interesting learning experience for me as a parent. I think it was right to help him work through those fears, but at some point we became a crutch to him. Once he had to work out the problem himself, he did.
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
During the last three months, Brayden has taken piano lessons and swimming lessons. He also still does scouting. He played in a basketball league. He also has been in a musical that I have been directing.
SWEET BOY
Brayden is a very sweet child. He read a story the other day about a boy whose mom broke her foot. The boy decided to make dinner each night to help his mom. He told me he wanted to do that since I hurt my foot.
BODY ODOR?
I distinctly remember my third grade teacher having to tell people that it was time they started to wear deodorant. Because of that, I have been paying attention and waiting for that day to come for Brayden. It hasn’t yet, but I wanted to point it out so anyone with a child in this age range can be on the lookout (or smellout) for it. I did some research on the topic and apparently the sweat glads that produce the sweat that bacteria like to feed on can develop as young as 5, though for most it is between 8-10.
BOOKS
Here are some books he loves (you can see more and keep up on books he reads and loves on my Chapter Books for Boys board. I also have one for girls):
- Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) by Rick Roidon. He is currently reading this series. He is on the fourth book.
- Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini. He is currently reading this. He is on the second book.
- Brandon Mull’s Beyonders Trilogy
- Janitors by Tyler Whitesides
- Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo: This is his current series he just finished
- Fablehaven: The Complete Series by Brandon Mull–he read this entire series two times during the summer
- The Candy Shop War
- 39 Clues (we LOVE these–they are interesting to my husband and me, also): The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues, Book 1)
SCHEDULE
Brayden’s Schedule:
7:00 AM–wake up. Eat breakfast. Get ready. Pack lunch. Practice piano. Do morning chores. Read scriptures. Do daily chore.
Then go to school.
Come home from school. Do homework if he has it.
5:30 PM–Dinner. Then time with family.
7:00 PM Start getting ready for bed.
8:30 PM–in bed