orin...

orin, too, has matured...though he is still in the heart of the "9 year change". this is a key threshold according to waldorf philosophy. they are in between the world of childhood and the world of adolescence.

i love this quote from "parenting the nine year old" (waldorf in the home):

"Usually, within six months after the ninth birthday (and sometimes earlier), the children are profoundly aware of this new sense of separateness between the self and the outer world. As the "I" penetrates into awareness, children begin to experience themselves as self-contained beings. The often feel as though they are in a threshold situation, poised, as it were, on the cusp of their own destiny. A 70-year-old woman wrote of this time in her life: "In this year I had a significant I-experience. I had just come from school in the city and had to change trams. In this moment of waiting, the complete certainty came to me that now all of life lay before me and that I was the one that must travel it. "

this is an amazing and yet terrifying realization, is it not??

he...no, we are doing much better. he is really in the thick of the 9 year change now, but has been mulling around the edges for the past year or so. it is defnitely bringing our relationship to a new height, but there are many challenges as well. there is almost a dr. jeckell/mr. hyde under currant. orin can go from bullying aydin, picking at him about every little thing, to crying for the entire second half hour of our walk about the kitten we saw that had been hit by a car. how do these two extremes exist within the same body, and what turmoil must be going on inside as a result??

he has come a long way though, since last year, & i am standing my ground better. this is proving to be a good mix. he still points out every mistake i make (which is doing wonders for my patience!), but he is amazing with ehren & evyn, and has really become quite the helper...insisting on helping with more than i would ask of him, where before i would have to ask multiple times for his help with even the simplest of tasks.

he has gone from drawing knights always in battle with one another to drawing me endless cards for no reason at all...one of my favorites is included with this post...beautiful flowers & a flower fairy treehouse!

i am thankful to be a part of this amazing experience...