Dear sweet Elodie,
You stayed over at Grandma’s last night for the first time in a long while.
How fun was that!
Both for you and for Grandma.
You together with Grandma in that big bed and no Gaston (your little brother) in sight. Grandma took you along, and Gaston didn’t like that. But he quickly forgot because he got to go with mom and dad to a summer bar with a play area. He had fun there and didn’t think about staying over at Grandma’s anymore.
At Grandma’s, you were very enthusiastic. You’ve already taken a few swimming lessons and wanted to show in the big bath that you could put your head underwater: on your knees in the bath, pinching your nose, closing your eyes, and blowing. But it went wrong. Coughing and spluttering, you were disappointed that it worked at home but not at Grandma’s.
Staying over at Grandma’s was a deliberate request from Grandma to relieve mom and dad a bit. They are worried about you. It’s the last vacation before you go to a new school, to first grade. You’re dreading it and don’t want to go to a new school.
Every evening it’s a big drama to get you into bed, and to keep you there, without tears and problems. You cry because something isn’t right: the teddy bear, the little rug, your blanket, your pillow. Then you call mom or dad to fix everything again. Once your story is told and you’re tucked in, everything seems fine. But two minutes later, you’re crying again: the other blanket isn’t straight, the stripes don’t match. It goes on like this every time. There are so many little things that don’t seem okay that your parents are almost going crazy.
They notice the same pattern during the day. If you ask something and get an answer, you ask again, and again. As if you don’t want to hear it or don’t believe it. You keep going. You’re cute, but your tears are real and your persistence is great.
Grandma sees this too. She, along with your mom and dad, is a bit worried about your behavior. Could it be a form of ADHD, or maybe OCD? The fact is, they’re wondering how to proceed.
Fortunately, mom knows a psychologist through her sister. She gave tips that might help: in the evening, remove everything from your room that worries you. No blankets with stripes, no little rug that can lie crooked, no bear that isn’t sitting straight. Fewer disturbing elements seem to help a bit.
Grandma listens to podcasts and reads books on these subjects to better understand your behavior and to better support your mom and dad.
Staying over at Grandma’s was also a test: how do you react there?
Apparently, you don’t have this behavior when you sleep over at Liesje’s, the babysitter, where it’s never a problem. At home, it is. With the prospect of first grade at the new school, it’s a wait-and-see how your behavior will be.
I see you less often, Grandma sees you more. My role is to support Grandma so that she, in turn, can support your parents. Together, we make the best of it.
A beautiful description of you would be: a cute, sweet, attention-seeking little princess.
See you soon
Gust (your step-grandpa)