I am sorry son.

Yikes, here I was typing away and nearly ran out of time to write in my diary. Well, I am here now. It just occurred to me that I never updated the diary on our little talk with Mrs. Lewis (Graham's teacher). Her assessment of the situation was very close to ours. Graham is a good kiddo and he is trying to find out where he fits in this world. She felt that we would continue to deal with these issues as this would likely be a big year of change for him.

Fundamentally, Graham is kindhearted. First, it is clear, he is mimicking behaviors he sees in other boys in an attempt to fit in. This is why we have seen some of the slapstick behaviors. The trick for him will be in finding which behaviors are appropriate to emulate and which are not. Clearly, spanking others is not. He also has not figured out where to draw the line. When do you go from funny to inappropriate? I hope he finds this out because, as Lynley will tell you, I have had my own challenges with this little life skill over the years. Poor kid.

The second hurdle for Graham is the fact that he is a rule follower. In a moment, I will share a funny story which will give you insight into why he is this way but, for the time being, accept it as fact. Graham is tremendously frustrated by those that do not follow rules. Rules give him structure and are an effective way for him to deal with the chaos of life. Rules are predictable and stable. Clearly, if everyone followed them, life would be much easier. It is this mentality that defines Graham. He can't stand it when others don't do what they are supposed to do and that can cause issues. This is a bit of the tattletaler that is just an innate part of him. Now I get that.

So, why is he that way?

When Lynley and I left the building to go home we had to cross the parking lot. There was no traffic. About 30 feet away there was a crosswalk.

I took the time to make my way over to the crosswalk.

Lynley jay-walked.

I was completely frustrated by the fact that Lynley simply did not follow the rules and cut across the street.

We both looked at each other and laughed.

I am sorry son that you were cursed with yet another idiot-syncrasy of your dad's.

I promise to make up for it by helping you find your purpose. Until then, you may want to listen to your mom a little more often.