Poor Joel

[mommax3]

We were all outside last night (there is a park behind our house) watching the kids play and getting caught up, (DH was gone from last Saturday to late Wednesday night, and was on call Thursday and didn't get to come home) when our middle son Joel fell of the monkey bars and broke his arm in three places.

He is in a temporary cast now and will get the "real" cast Monday. I am so bummed for him because his birthday party is the 22nd and we are having it at a gymnastics center where they can bounce on trampolines and play on the other equipment.....I don't know how much of it he will be able to do, now, and he has been waiting SO long to be six so he can take "gym-kata" (combination of tumbling and martial arts) and I signed him up for the summer session.....I KNOW he won't be able to do that.....and at the beginning of June he (along with his brothers) is spending a week at his grandparents, where swimming at the country club is usually a big part of each day. So I am bummed for him.

We are also in discussions with his school regarding whether or not to have him repeat Kindergarten, primarily for reasons of immaturity, not academics, although the immaturity does affect his academics. He identifies emotionally with older kids because of his big brother, even though he is one of the youngest in his kindergarten class. The way things are now, we are going to re-evaluate in July and see if the principal/teacher make the same recommendation. I know that any disappointment he has will fade if we decide to retain him, and I want him to get off to a good start whenever he goes to first grade, but it is just really hard to contemplate a course of action that I know will be almost devestating to his little world.

So, please send good thoughts/prayers to Joel if you think of it!

Sally

[PrincessFiona]

Sally,

Poor Joel....Poor, poor Joel!!!! Is it too late to change the location of his birthday party?

As to the swimming...gosh, that stinks!!!!! Is there anyway to rearrange the trip to grandma's house for August after the cast comes off? Poor little Joel...at 6, this is akin to the end of his little world .

Regarding the school stuff, Sally... I've been there/done that and I know exactly what you guys are going through. Another suggestion that I had for you guys with Joel was to look into a Montessori school for first grade for him if you have one near you. I think that there are many possible options outside of holding him back...holding him back is just easiest for the schools. If he is able to socialize with his same-age peers then I think holding him back might hurt him socially. : You could look into a tutor for him for the summer or school year, etc, etc. If you would ever like to discuss it (since we went through the same thing with Amanda) feel free to PM me.

kris

[SueC]

Poor kid! What a bummer to have that happen to him right before summer break AND his birthday party!!! That's a huge deal for a kid.
I'll be thinking about you guys and hoping his arm heals up soon!

[DCJenn]

Sally-

When it rains, it pours. I'm sending you happy thoughts, but I'm not sure they'll help too much!

Jenn

[BonBon]

Sally,
I am so sorry for poor Joel. That really does stink - all that fun stuff lined up. This must be breaking his little heart. Since I'm still a new mom and clueless, are there other activities that you could do for his birthday which would be safe for his arm?

I also agree with Kris about looking into Montessori. Kev and I went to an open house at our local Montessori when Little G was 2 weeks old and it literally knocked our socks off. (yeah, I know, jumping the gun, but there is a looooong waiting list!) The learning is very hands on and individualized. I recommend contacting the school if you have one and observing a classroom.

I'll be sending happy and healing thoughts your way!

Sorry to hear about the broken arm and the mess up in all the plans because of it. Poor kid! Maybe he can have a special outing to take place of all the plans he has to forfeit because of his injury.

Best wishes to the little guy!

Bummer! Poor Joel!
How long does the cast stay on? Hopefully the excitement of the birthday party lifts his spirits.

[Meenah]

That is terrible. I agree, maybe you could move the party and or the time of the trip.
Luanne

[Sheherezade]

Poor Joel!!! I would see if you could get out of the party at the gym. That could be pretty hard --watching your friends have fun when you're "benched". Could you do something like a movie or an entertainer? Then everyone would be sitting. I hope he feels better and heals quickly.

Angie

[houseelf]

Joel and Joel's mama....

Sending prayers your way. I broke my arm one summer at the beginning of a two week vacation when I was 9. We learned to wrap my arm in a baggy so that I could *kind* of swim. Are there any of those water proof casts around? Do those exist? A Texas summer may be unbearable without the ability to swim.

Kelly

[PrincessFiona]

How's he doing, Sally?

kris

[mommax3]

He is doing okay, thanks for asking! He got his permanent cast ("glow-in-the-dark") on Monday, and the PA and tech that worked with him were impressed by how tough he was during the casting. I did not fully appreciate how serious the injury was until that appt. He broke both of the bones in his forearm, and one of the bones in his upper arm, just above the elbow. There is some concern about the break close to the elbow, and we have to go back next Monday so they can check on it....there is the potential that he may need surgery so they can put some pins in it.

However, the good news is that they are saying 4 or maybe 5 weeks for the cast.....that's much better than 6! And I called the gymnastics place about his party....they said he could definitely do the trampolines with the harness on, and that is the thing that he *loves* to do, so I think he will be fine with that.

About the retention......I am still totally at a loss about what to do. I don't know how to tutor him to resolve the problem of "immaturity". His academics really seem to be fine.....average or maybe a little below, but mostly due to his fine motor skills, which is a typical issue with boys. I really do love the school where he is and his teacher especially, and I believe she has his best interests at heart. As it stands now, we are going to re-evaluate him in July.....and I think I will ask for one of the first grade teachers to participate in the re-evaluation, and maybe the other Kinder teacher (not the one he has now, but the one he will have next year if he is retained). The only Montessori school here is a public school that follows that philosophy......students are accepted based on a lottery that took place in March, so that isn't really an option for us, and actually I feel that the school he is in is probably a better situation all-around as far as class size, etc.

I will keep you posted......

Sally