calculating differently

one day when i came home, r was doing his homework with his afterschool provider. she was trying to get him to make an equation and therefore show his work. my son was calculating the answer to the problem in his own head, in how own funny way. he started yelling at her when she did not understand his way of explaining it. from what i could hear, it was not clear.

this led to him throwing himself on the sofa and yelling "no one understands what i am saying!" when i got to him, i was able to joke my way into his acceptance as long as i was silly. and when i finally got him to talk to me instead of yell at me. all he could repeat was that no one understood. i had the wherewithall not to force him to do it a certain way. but i did say i would like to know how he did it even if he did in his head.

he explained some odd way that was not clear. it was clearly a "yellow light" moment. i do not know if he could control what he was doing but he was like a careening pinball emotionally. it was hard to soothe him.

today the kids were wound up when we got home. especially r who had not eaten much of his food. it took quite a bit of patience to figure out how to get them to eat and get enough food into us too. we read a little at the end of dinner and then transitioned to upstairs where there was more reading and then bedtime. holidays make everyone is exhausted.