Benjamin: 9 years old

My cutie pie in the snow

While I never thought I would survive the first 12 months of the boys' life, now the years speed past. The boys are more than halfway through their time at elementary school, and halfway through their time as minors. I mentioned to my mom that they are halfway to 18, and she said, "I hope you enjoyed the first 9 years, because it's all downhill from here!" Thanks, Mom.

At 9, Benjamin is still a sweet and and affectionate. I still get hugs in public, and he will even hold my hand. He requests snuggles, even if he is wiggly with bony elbows.

sweet face

Benjamin is a dedicated and serious reader. He has an amazing memory for the things he reads, and so has gathered all kinds of information about science and history that I don't have any knowledge of myself. Due to his reading, he has an extensive vocabulary, and gets the hardest spelling words of any 3rd grader I've ever seen! He even helped correct my spelling the other day while he was reading over my shoulder. At school he is inconsistent in his attention, and tends to devote himself to only the things that interest him. This means some weeks are better than others. He seems to easily understand everything that he is taught, but runs out of energy for test-taking and report-writing.

He has made a close friend at school this year, and he and this friend seem to genuinely and mutually enjoy their time together. Through this friend, Benjamin has developed an interest in collecting sports trading cards, and in knowing some sports statistics. Benjamin still likes to carry Tiggy in his pocket and tries to sneak him to school- so we pat him down almost everyday. Tiggy has a tendency to go missing, most recently for a period of 3 weeks! Benjamin was crying every night about missing him, and then one day, Charlotte spotted Tiggy in another kindergarten teacher's hands! How he got back to kindergarten remains a mystery, but it was a joyful reunion.

Benjamin has also had some social struggles at school- he has a classmate who he seems to clash with at all times. Benjamin hasn't always behaved the best; we got one call from the vice principal that Benjamin had kicked this boy in the leg over a wall-ball argument. But the boy has continued to pick on Benjamin. We've had to have conversations about choosing friends, letting things go, and of course, not using violence to solve interpersonal problems. Later in the year, Benjamin was able to reach out to the vice principal to help him solve problems, which is preferred to kicking.

His speech is also a work in progress- he gets speech at school, and has improved his pronunciation of many things, but is still working on his "r," which is apparently one of the more difficult sounds to master.

Benjamin's Thanksgiving cartoon

Benjamin has developed a love for sarcastic comics- he started with Calvin & Hobbes and has moved on to Zits, Garfield, and Get Fuzzy. He has a very mature sense of humor. We also have love to watch some of my favorite movies from my childhood, like The Money Pit and Spaceballs. His giggle is infectious, and I love hearing him laugh.

His love for video games continues unabated, much to my frustration. He will sneak any electronic device that he can, and I have to keep my computer and my cell phone locked at all times. He is a pretty good typist, but we keep him from typing his schoolwork because he tends to get distracted by all the other available programs on a computer.

He also has an interest in war and weapons, and reads books about various wars and battles (of which I have no knowledge), and remembers everything that he reads. I remember when my cousin's son had a similar fascination, and he is now headed off to West Point next month, so I suppose it led to a productive outcome.

One of the several hundred selfies Benjamin has taken with my phone

Benjamin's anxiety seems much better over the past two years. Two years ago he couldn't bear to be at big school parties, and now he enjoys them, but needs (or prefers) a parent close by for reassurance. He has also tried many new things, and eagerly took on a role in our synagogue's Purim spiel. The rehearsal for the spiel gave us lots of Mommy-Benjamin time, which we enjoyed. One day we had the opportunity to go to the Philadelphia Auto Show, and we loved it!

Trying out a fancy car

Benjamin is still the best eater of all of my kids. He prefers dinner foods for breakfast, so he often eats leftovers, or I will make him a grilled cheese or hot dog. Many mornings he will open the fridge and stare into it before declaring, "There's nothing I want in here!" He is also the least likely (which isn't the same as completely unlikely) of the children to sneak candy and treats, which I appreciate.

Snuggling

Benjamin will be going away to overnight camp this summer for the first time. He is anxious, but has been working with his therapist to get ready. Eric promised him a trip to a video game virtual reality experience the day he comes home as a reward to seeing it through, so he is holding on to that to get him through his time there. 

He has also become a pretty decent swimmer and can swim enough to pass the deep water test. He isn't interested in sports, but enjoys art of all kinds. I don't need him to be an athlete, I just want him to love what he does, be kind to others, and love himself as he is.