All about Mason

{I went to Europe and left some instructions behind for those helping with the kids. Here's Mason's info}

All About Mason

Mason doesn’t have a schedule and doesn’t take naps. Some mornings I have to wake him up to get him on the bus, other times he’s up early wanting to cuddle or watch cartoons. He likes cereal, eggs, or muffins for breakfast. Some mornings he throws fits about “not enough cereal” but I think he’ll be better behaved for you. He needs to go to the bathroom first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If he doesn’t want to try, remind him sometimes our body surprises us.  He likes to get dressed right away, and doesn’t like wear shoes inside.

School mornings:

Routine: I wake him up by 8am if he’s not already up. He eats cereal or eggs, gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and washes his face. I open the front door at 8:15 so we can hear the bus if it’s early. If Mason gets ready and has time to kill we either read or he rides his bike out front. I walk him to the bus and help him up the first step. The aide helps him to his seat and buckles him in. I stand out front and wave until they are off. 

He is a perfectionist and gets discouraged if he can’t do something right. He gets frustrated if something (like putting on shoes) is harder than normal. Watch for flying shoes.  We’ve been working on taking deep breaths when he’s building up getting ready to explode. I’ll say “let me hear you breathe a couple times and then we’ll try again”. Because he wants to do everything just right, he’s also a genius. He’s become very talented at coloring in the lines and writing. Give him time to do things his way and you’ll be astonished at what he can do. Lisa recently introduced him to mazes and his abilities are amazing. 

He plays well with Eli…most of the time. He’s often a big rough and still has that strange obsession with Eli’s hands and feet. He’s sneaky about it too. Eli puts up with it pretty well and will let you know when he’s had enough and needs rescuing. 

Mason loves to help. From making dinner and feeding Eli, to helping with laundry and taking out the trash- it makes him feel important and he’s a good little helper. 

His favorite things to play are: pretend he’s a puppy, play kitchen outside (making salads out of grass), make huts or puppy houses, color, puzzles, and any games. 

On school days I try to be very aware of how he’s feeling when he gets home. Some days  he needs a break to unwind and calm down. Some days he’s very tired and sensitive. Ask him how his day was and he’ll say “Well” and launch into his description. 

If you can’t understand what Mason is saying, try these tips. Tell him you didn’t hear and ask him to repeat it. Ask him to look at you when he talks. Ask him to show you with his hands. Ask him to show you what he’s talking about.  He gets very sad when people don’t understand him and if not treated patiently will give up and feel upset.

To help Mason out I always let him know what to expect. For example you could say “Time to get ready for school. Step one, eat breakfast. Step two, get dressed. Step Three, brush your teeth”. Or “First I’ll come pick you up at school. Then we’ll go the store, and then we’ll play a game.” This may be a hard week for him so I think it’s important to let him know what is going on,  when he’ll be going to the lake, and when Mom will be home. I have a calendar for him he can look at and it’s already been helpful . 

Mason loves to  be told stories, to be held close, and tickled. Make sure he knows I love him to the moon and back and will be back soon.