A New Leaf Turned

Today was the day for our big parent teacher conference with Garrett's 3rd grade teacher, and as we have since 1st grade, we girded our loins for the usual "Garrett is a bit of a trouble-maker" talk. Surprisingly, it didn't go down that way. Every year his teachers tell us that Garrett is a very bright boy and that academics are not an issue at all. He is always way ahead of where he needs to be with his reading skills, learns quickly, and generally glides through his class work with the grace of Dorothy Hamill on ice skates. This year was no different. What was different was that his teacher did not speak of his behavior through clenched teeth accompanied by flared nostrils. While our little boy wonder is by no means the class angel, he seems to be making great progress towards being less disruptive and more focused.

Now I'm trying to figure out what has caused this change. Is it that Garrett is maturing? Maybe as each year progresses, he'll get better at suppressing his urges to make random bizarre vocalizations or fart sounds, or allow his chair to fall on him to provoke the laughter of his class mates. Could it be that his teacher is simply better at coping with Garrett than others that preceded her, and that next year we could be once again back in conference hell? Or have the consequences that I have imposed at home begun to make a difference so that he is now motivated to fly the straight and narrow so he can enjoy all his usual privileges? Whatever the cause, Steve and I are immensely enjoying this new phase and have taken the time to congratulate Garrett on a new leaf well turned.