Caleb's Class

A lot of new families arrived at Tenwek this fall, and with them came a lot of new missionary kids!  It's been wonderful because now there are more kids for our kids to play with, particularly for Caleb who didn't have any other MKs his age prior to the recent influx of families.  After these families settled in, a couple other moms decided to start a class for the 4- and 5-year olds.  They meet twice a week (on Monday and Wednesday afternoons) and learn about things like the primary colors or the stars and always do a craft project.

We knew this would be a good thing for Caleb since he struggles in group settings and it would force him to work on those social skills.  He's fantastic in one-on-one situations, but put him with more than a couple people or, worse still, make him the center of attention, and he completely flips a lid.  So we've been grateful for this opportunity for him.

He was very excited about "going to class" because he loves crafts and projects.  I decided to go with him the first week because I anticipated a nervous breakdown on his part as soon as we got there, and I was right.  Suffice it to say, at one point he was curled up in a ball and covering his ears and sobbing and wailing, and I was discouraged and frustrated and broken-hearted all at once, but by the end of class he was playing with the other kids like normal and was happy as a clam.  We prayed for our boy a lot and the second day of class I accompanied him again, and he had another meltdown again, but recovered much faster that time and gave me hope that he could go to class and be okay sooner than later.

The next week I didn't stay with him at class, and the report was that he did okay (although not awesome) but didn't have a meltdown and mostly participated.  Progress!  Most transitions require baby steps for this boy, but eventually he lets go of his innate fear of new things and new places and is able to enjoy the experience.  This has been no different.  Now, after a month of class, he's doing well and is used to the routine of going to class and looks forward to it.  He still won't participate in any of the songs, but he's raised his hand a couple times to answer a question, which I could hardly believe.  So he's getting there, one baby step at a time!  His favorite part is the craft, plus running in the yard with the other boys afterwards.  We're really thankful for this class because it's stretching him socially and forcing him to learn how to cope in group settings.

Sometimes it feels like a lot to ask of an inherently anxious 4-year old boy, but it's ultimately good for him.  We're so thankful to these other moms who coordinated this class!