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A bit off-topic:

I taught ds a new word today. "Exuberant"

We were playing BINGO and he was doing his usual spinning around between each move and wiped out his board(we were sitting on the floor). I had just told him he needs to be calm because if he messes up the board, we will have to end the game. I knew he would, and figured this is yet another learning opportunity for him to try to sit still.

When he wiped out his board, he started to cry and apologize. I told him that when he starts preschool he needs to be calm playing games because other kids will cry if he wipes out the game.

I then told him that he is an exuberant boy and that is okay during some times, but not others.

Surprisingly, he felt much better about what happened when I gave him the word for his behavior.

DS is much better behaved when I am not at a storytime. Parents are encouraged to go to storytime at his preschool which is right before pick-up. So normally I show up, I have to put him in my lap to keep him from randomly swinging his arms into other kids, leaving, etc. He never participates in the songs and I watch nearly every other child excitedly doing all the hand motions and DS is doing something else like signing his name to himself or just staring into space. (Books on the other hand if it's a new book he's just rapt attention, and interupting to ask loud questions.) But he's much better behaved when I'm unavailable, which I learned by coming in late a few times, coming up to watch him quietly sitting cross legged paying attention (rather than laying down kicking feet in all directions). Still not participating but at least polite and paying attention, a relief to see that.

What I don't understand with him is why, when he doesn't participate at all in the motions or singing that goes along with the songs at preschool, just a couple times he has spent the whole drive home singing them complete with the hand motions while I listen in shocked silence. He seems to enjoy them so much when he's singing them, I'm confused why not at preschool. He's not shy so ?

Polly

My DS does that too, and I have no idea why. He was like that with singalong TV shows as well. I guessed perfectionism?

DS (he's two) won't do cirle time either (once we accidentally went to one, at a tiny library where there was noplace else to BE, and he brought me an "older" book to read, and we got kicked out for reading at the library, even though I was trying really hard to be quiet, and there was noplace else to BE!!!!! AND we hand't known it was circle time, AND there was a heat allert, which is why we went anyway).

Anyway, when he's in his stroller and I can't read to him, he'll do all the usual circle time songs, and a few he's made up, with big actions so that he's smacking strangers and stuff. Everyone laughs at that becasue it's really pretty over-the-top cute, especially if there are other kids on the bus and he ends up leading an impromptu circle time (it happens).... BUT.

I was trying to get him to do circles for a while becasue I thought he was going to be assessed for autism *in a circle time* (luckily that was misinformation from the secretaty), and I still kinda wish he'd do it a little, since he seems to like the actions so much... but....

But... But... But...

It's all very silly. Sometimes I just imagine "cavemom circletime" and then I relax about it. Who really cares if he doesn't like something that's not really important? I think.

-Mich