Church Challenges

Well, we just got back from church, and I thought to myself, "Church. Now there's a blog entry." Especially since the last couple of days Bennett and I have been trading off sicknesses, so not much has been going on here. Except for a lot of laying around. So let me tell you about church. (I just love this captive audience thing.)

So two weeks after Matt left, I had a breakdown over the phone to my sister-in-law, Bekah, about primary. A literal breakdown. Now, I love kids, and I love being in Primary (I'm pretty sure this is why I have spent maybe three days in Relief Society in my entire life). So what in the World can be so stressful about Primary, you ask? Well, try being the sole teacher to fourteen, four to six year-olds. Oh, and then add in your rambunctious 15-month-old to the mix. Ugh. Granted, not all of the kids on my roster came every Sunday, but we did have about nine regulars. And these were good kids. But (and here comes the breakdown part) there was this one kid. Let's call him "George."

George was a great kid, but he had this habit of causing a lot of problems. He was just a very busy and defiant child, and when he didn't get his way, he tended to get a little violent. Add to that the fact that he is almost my height and weight, and you have a pretty good recipe for disaster. Every week. It got to the point where I could keep George in check by constantly sitting by him, talking to him, holding him down in his chair, taking him out in the hall, finding his parents, bribing him with treats, etc. But after I did all of this, every week, with one child, I no longer had the strength to deal with the other eight kids (and Bennett) who were also in my class. Who, did I mention, were great kids, but they were still five year-olds. And five-year-olds, I have found, are like piranhas. They're smart enough to recognize they are small, and they stay away from the big fish pretty good because of it. But as soon as they smell blood in the water, that big fish is a goner.

I am the big fish.

As soon as George was finished sucking all the patience/kindness/sanity out of my body, the other kids would pounce on the opportunity to stand on their chairs, jump from the tables, scream at the top of their lungs, run through the halls...I am getting tired writing this. It was just an all around bad situation, only made worse by the fact that I strongly believe every child has the ability to reach any expectation, within reason, set for them by adults. And I set my expectations pretty high for my class. When George wasn't around, these kids understood that, and they were pretty good about listening to me. But, like I said: piranhas. Hence, the breakdown.

I asked for help over and over again from the Primary Presidency, but never seemed to get the message through to them that I was in serious, immediate, need of assistance. So it got to the point where I decided I simply couldn't do it anymore. Matt was gone, I had a little boy who needed a sane mother on Sundays, and I was just done. But before I could ask the bishop for a minute, he came to me and asked if I could meet him in his office. Yes! So I went in there, all ready to sob my eyes out and tell him I just couldn't do this anymore, when he extended the calling to me to be the second counselor in the newly reorganized Primary Presidency.

You betcha.

The first thing I made sure we did was call a second teacher to the CTR 4-6 class. A man. A very big, strong, man who can take George on without breaking a sweat. (Oh, and just as a side note, George's parents came to me a few weeks after I was released and told me they just found out George had serious ADD and ADHD issues. Really? You're just finding that out..? Anyway, he is doing much better now thanks to some new "methods" they are trying. Yay for modern medicine.) We changed a lot of other things, too, and I think the Primary is really turning around in a good way. I mean, I haven't cried on the way home from church in over a month now, so something must be working. :)

Today we had our Primary Program (which I was over) and I had to hold the tears back again...except these were tears of joy. First of all, because we made it through the program without any serious incidents. And there was lots and lots of room for incidents. But mostly I was holding back the tears because I love these kids. Even George. I am so happy I get to be in there with them, singing songs and learning about how Jesus loves us. It's not very deep doctrine, but I think it's the most important.

And, to add to my joy, Bennett decided today that maybe Nursery is a fun place to be! In the middle of all this aforementioned hubbub, Bennett turned 18-months-old and was moved into the wonderful World of Nursery. He was not a fan of this place for the first couple of weeks, however. He would cry and cry, and since the Nursery wall and the Primary wall are joint walls, I could hear every minute of it. But I refused to get him, one: because I was in the middle of a whole lot of craziness and didn't need to add to it, two: because I have a been a Nursery leader and know that it only makes it harder when parents continually get their children in and out of the room, and three: because the two hours Bennett was in Nursery were the only two hours in my entire week I didn't have to worry about him. Sweet freedom!! (Let it be known, I love my Bennett-Boy very, very much...but breaks are still nice.) So Bennett cried, and I tried to ignore it, and the weeks went by. And pretty soon Bennett cried less, and less, and now it is just right when I drop him off and then he's over it. Thank goodness!

So life is good, again. Now the biggest problem we have to deal with at church is making sure Bennett doesn't get too many treats. Because really, this kid has a ton of friends, and they all just want to feed him candy. And Bennett lets them. Today we came home and I didn't even have to feed him lunch because he had such a little potbelly from the treats he'd gotten all day long.

But whatever. We're happy. And that's what this blog is all about.



Besides being sick and going to church, Bennett learned how to blow bubbles this week. Here is a little video of him doing it for one of the first times. If you listen close you can hear his squeals of delight with himself. I wish I could have gotten his face a little better, but we were at the mercy of a lawn chair and there wasn't much control in the camera area. Just imagine a really, really, excited and proud face. Haha, I love this boy. :)