trash to treasure

Sam is a funny kid. He gets attached to things that my other kids don't. Odd things. Things you wouldn't automatically assume could be security objects. Part of this ties into his need for things to be the same as much as possible. It helps him deal with all the things that he can't control if he knows there are some things that are absolutely reliable. Like what he's going to have for breakfast every day of the week. Mondays are cereal, Tuesdays bagels, Wednesdays waffles...you get the picture. If I'm out of bagels I had damn well be sure I tell him well in advance of Tuesday morning of he'll be out of sorts all morning long. He extends this little quirk to things as well. He has to sleep with a certain quilt or blanket. There are particular pencils and erasures he must use for homework. He will, quite literally, start to have a meltdown if he doesn't have the ghost erasure to do his homework. And heaven forbid I put his lunch in any thermos other than the light blue one.

Thanks to our friend Donna (who saved my butt with the perfect Communion dress) Sam has a new item he's become attached to. The little green table as we affectionately call it. Sadly, our friend Donna moved away. Sad for us anyways, she's soaking up the sun down in Florida while we're still shivering. In the process of cleaning house as she packed, she came across a multitude of things she just knew we had to have. The green table, air conditioners, window guards (just in case my kids try to escape), and a Barbie doll the size of Katie (more on THAT in another post!). Sam saw this table when he came home from school the day it arrived and a look of rapture spread across his face. First off, it just so happens to be his very favorite color. And it's small. And there's only one chair. Sam loves having a little space all to himself and this little table became exactly what he had been looking for all his life and he hadn't even known it till that very moment. He claimed it as his own and that is where he sits every afternoon as soon as he gets off the school bus until dinner time. He sets up all his homework supplies on it and works away at his homework. Not exactly happily...note the pout.

He reads his books and writes important notes while perched in the chair. He watches tv and has all the necessary remotes, snacks and a drink in exactly the right spots on the table. One night he even asked if he could sleep there in that chair. I said no. Such a mean Mommy. He does get very upset if someone is sitting in his chair when he wants to sit there. Teresa has figured out that this upsets him and typical younger sister, she will sometimes take the seat when he gets up just to get him going. He's working on sharing his little green table. I had planned on putting the table in a more out of the way place but it doesn't look like I can do that now. Sometimes these attachments last a while and sometimes they are fleeting. The jury's still out on which way this one will go.

This is just for you Donna...Sam says "Thank you Donna. When you miss me Donna, I'll still be here. When are you coming back?"