Our Crazy week

This week has been kind of a crazy one...and not really in a good way. First of all Ashton has just been really difficult again the past few weeks. He's acting like he did right after we brought Gunnar home from the hospital. I'm not really sure what's been setting it off right now, I just know that a lot of days are very hard! So he had preschool on Tuesday...Lars dropped him off and said he was fine, they were doing a paint project that day, so he went right over and put on his paint shirt and got started & told Lars goodbye. So I went to pick him up and as usual he didn't want to leave-he was out playing on all of the play equipment they have in a big sandbox. So I was talking to his new teacher and kind of keeping my eye on him as well as holding Gunnar. Next thing I knew a little girl threw sand at him, then he threw it back at her...so I ran over as quick as I could and grabbed him out of the little ship they were sitting in. Both teachers ran over at the same time (of course all they saw was Ashton throw the sand). Anyway I was trying to get him to apologize and he started lashing out at the teachers and me, so I was really trying to just get out of there and before I could even see what he was doing (and I didn't actually see it) he grabbed a little rake out of another little girl's hand and smacked her across the face with it!! I only knew he did it because the girl started bawling. I immediately went over to the little girl's Mom and apolgized and tried to see if the girl was okay, then not knowing what else to do grabbed Ashton and left. What a nightmare!!! I was so embarrassed and sooooo mad! So I took him out and put him in the car and as I'm getting ready to drive away the little girl that he hit and her Mom are walking by and I see that now the Mom is bawling!! So I got out of the car and went up to her and apologized again and asked if the little girl was okay. At that point I could see the scratches on the side of her face and still not knowing what had happened assumed they were from Ashton's nails or something. ( I didn't find out till HE told me later that he'd done it with a rake!) Anyway the Mom just said that she was fine, but she was very obviously upset. I felt horrible! I could totally understand how she felt...Lars and I have been on the other end of a situation like this back when one of Ashton's little friends slammed his head in a door! I can still remember exactly how I felt when that happened, so I don't blame her. Anyway this story could get really long, so to shorten it a little bit...I called the preschool that night thinking I would just leave a message, but the director answered the phone, so I talked to her for quite awhile. All I had to do was say that I had a little boy that attended school there and that there had been an incident that day and she said "oh you must be Ashton's Mom." lovely...the other Mom had already called in obviously. Anyway interestingly enough she suggested I read a book (that I happen to already be reading right now) called "The Power of Positive Parenting" She said she's lived by it with all of her kids and truly believes in everything that the author teaches in it. And from what I've read so far, it all makes a lot of sense and we will be implementing some of the techniques with Ashton. And the teachers at the preschool will be doing the same things with him. Obviously he can't behave that way again, so I'm praying that trying some different things will help.
So last night they were having a little parent night at the school so that the kids could bring their parents and show them around and tell them what they do there. I really thought about just not going. I was seriously sick thinking about having to face that other Mom again. But we decided that we would go and told Ashton that he could earn stickers for his sticker chart for apologizing to the little girl at school. So we were there for a little while before the other Mom and little girl (and her Dad) showed up. I had already apologized to her twice, so I didn't approach her or anything, but pointed out the little girl to Ashton so that when he was ready he could go apologize. He just told me he wasn't ready. So after a little while we went outside to the "scene of the crime" aka playground. Eventually the little girl and her parents came out as well and after awhile it was just us and them (interestingly enough). Still no one said anything and after a little while we told Ashton it was time to go and he had one more chance to go say sorry at which point he went right over to her and said "I'm sorry I hit you." The Mom was right there and said to him "that was so nice of you to say sorry." Then Lars started talking to the Dad, and then we all kind of started talking and they said that she didn't seem to have any lasting effects from it (and honestly the scratches were completely gone!), and the Mom said she thought it bothered her more than it did the little girl. So I told her that I totally understood and told her about the head slamming in the door incident with Ashton and told her that I hoped she never had to be on the other end of it. We assured them that we did not take his behavior lightly and that we will be working with the preschool to make sure nothing like it ever happens again. So I felt a lot better after that, but it's still so hard when it's your kid doing the hitting! Everyone please pray for us!

We love Ashton so much and he is such a sweet fun little boy...we really want to help him get past this hitting stage and try to understand why he gets so frustrated. Once again after being pretty grouchy yesterday all morning he willingly took a nap and slept for 3 1/2 hours! So I do attribute some of his behavior to not enough sleep. Here he is happy as can be playing outside in the mud from Lars' truck after it rained the other day. ( I love the outfit! )