Uta is back in school. Today is day two. I have been holding my breath all summer dreading what the return would bring. The last few weeks of last year were nearly impossible. Uta did not want to separate from me and it took nearly an hour of coaxing everyday to get him to willingly stay in the classroom. Everyone pointed to my growing belly as the culprit causing Uta's new anxiety. Even Uta expressed his honest concern that I might not love him as much after the baby is born.
This summer brought little relief. I expected it was only an issue with school, but going with Pop to the carnival brought the same tears and drawn out goodbye. Even just going three blocks away to the studio without me was an emotional trauma for Uta. September was sure to be a living hell. Then something changed.
Uta explains it like this, "I had a dream that changed my life."
Uta woke up one morning recently crying. He had had a nightmare. In the dream, Papa H had left him in the care of a bad guy. (Uta interpreted this as what he calls a 'Ninja Task", a test to make you a master Ninja.) In the dream Uta rose to the challenge and killed the bad guy with a laser gun.
After the tears ended Uta looked at me and said, "This dream made me stronger. It gave me the power to go to school." This was not idle talk. Before school started Uta demonstrated his new courage on several occasions. When he went out with Pop for a few test-runs he gave me only a very cool nod goodbye before skipping off into his new independence. But school? Apparently no problem. There are lots of emotions evident in his eyes, but in words and actions he is sticking with his newly claimed power. Me and Pop are just in awe. This is not our boy, this is our teacher.
No comments:
Post a Comment