Thursday, January 14, 2010

The After

Thank you all for your kindness and love after this weekend. It was rough, but things are okay. Hunter is such a rock star that I know he will let it go and move on from it, he sort of has too. He spoke his mind, said his peace. He is better for it.
How did he do at the tournament? Not the greatest.
The lanes were way different then anything he had ever bowled on, and he hasn't mastered the art of self-adjustment. He was not in a good place to start, so the frustration that came from that made it ten times worse all around.
HOWEVER! We are still so very proud of him. Why? He has worked so hard on his bowling, but also on his temper. He is not the child that hits, screams or "freaks out" but he can get mean if he doesn't work to control the temper.
This past summer, when Koda was still so new and SO wild Hunter had the hardest time. He wanted Koda to listen, but wouldn't take the steps to make that happen. After working with both of them all summer that relationship has changed a great deal. During the summer, Hunter would get angry and move to lash out at Koda, something that ended pretty quickly thankfully. As we worked with Hunter on how to train the dog, how to show him who was in charge, his attitude toward Koda changed.
In November Koda decided that he HAD to have the cereal that Hunter was getting ready for himself. All it took was a split second of Hunter turning his back (and me not being anywhere near fast enough to stop it) and Koda had the cereal, milk and bowl on the floor. It was a fine fine mess.
What did Hunter do? He took the time to calm himself down. Yes, he was upset. Probably more upset than many other children would be, but he didn't loose his temper. He kept it in control by taking deep breathes, by realizing that Koda is just a puppy and by understanding that it was NOT a big deal at all.
We put the dog outside, and cleaned up the mess, together. We talked about how well he had done, how proud I was of him and how hard it was for him to do. He was proud of himself that day.
Saturday, even with the emotional feelings that were coursing through him, he didn't loose his temper. He didn't show bad sportsmanship, and he continued to try. While his attitude wasn't great, he wasn't taking it out on anyone else. That alone is a HUGE accomplishment for him.
I can't believe how much he has changed since this summer, and now turning 13...oh man.

2 comments:

Megan said...

So proud of Hunter! He really is growing up!

Alison said...

Wow, that attitude shows real maturity. I know you are so proud of him.