Kain Arrives

Today, Kain will be coming to stay with us. For the uninitiated, the short story is that Kain is my 6yo nephew...his mother is, well, I don't really know where his mother is...and his father has asked us to take Kain for an indefinite period of time. We were happy to oblige. We have wanted to bring Kain here for 3 years! We are also overwhelmed and pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Kain has had a very traumatic life (no short story there), and he has a lot of behavioral/learning/emotional problems. It is quite a tangled web...and it will be no small feat to sort everything out and find the best ways to help him. He will not be homeschooled with my own children. In our state, you can't homeschool children that are not your own. He is enrolled in school near us and starting next Monday. I am nervous for him. He should be in first grade...his mother didn't bother to enroll him in Kindergarten last year. He is a big boy...I'm sure he'll be head and shoulders above the other kids. Combined with his other problems....well, let's just say I am hoping for a kind, patient, and highly motivated teacher for him. And I could use some patience myself. We have been scrambling to get ready...I know that the transition will go much more smoothly if we have a tight routine right from the beginning. Tightness is not generally my strong suit...especially when our own school is still on a lazy summer break. My own family has been forewarned. As of his arrival this afternoon, we will swing into full school-like schedule, especially concerning morning/evening routines. I need him to adjust to these before school starts...and he has trouble adjusting.