It looks like Arno will remain an everlasting source of entertainment to us!
I have long wanted to write a piece about him, telling some stories from the time where the Prof left home. They are all loose bits and pieces. The opportunity just needed to be born - and that happened yesterday!
To me, the stories side by side, of old and present, shows a certain growth in maturity and thinking, which makes me a very proud mom today. It makes me think - we did not do too badly through this whole business of divorce.
I can't really remember how long after the Prof left, that these things happened - but it was still in the early days.
The Prof had given Arno a pocket knife. The knife was put in a drawer and forgotten about. But, after the Prof left, Arno began searching frantically for it. It was almost like an obsession, and it broke my heart. To me, it felt like he was trying to keep pieces of his dad, through that knife. He became so upset about it, that we all became involved in searching for the knife. When we eventually found it, he looked at it sadly and asked - now who will teach me to use this? .... Oh boy - heart breaking stuff... things I had no answers to.
Another thing that happened in those early days, is that we started to notice that around evening, the doors became locked. It didn't take long to realise that Arno was locking them. He did this every evening, with a frightening regularity. Eventually I asked him about it, and his reply was as follows: "I don't feel like waking up in the middle of the night - all tied up".
Although it had a sad element - we did laugh about his way of expressing that concern!
The final story of that time, is one I struggle to express. I am not sure what was going on inside his little head, but he began to get very frightening "visions". They weren't dreams... it happened while he was awake. He would "see" things like a man falling down, blood spots spraying around etc. These were petrifying things to have happen, and we had no answers. We didn't understand what was happening, and we didn't know what to do about them. The doctor prescribed sleeping pills, or tranquilisers - or something of that nature.
I think that these "visions" were all part of the stress he was feeling. They have completely stopped, and we have forgotten many of the details of the visions - thank goodness.
Well, now the present day story.
Apparently one of his teachers had given the class some dance instructions, written down on a piece of paper. The class was divided into groups and then told to perform this dance.
His group however, thought they had more practice time, and when it came time for their "performance", they had not even practiced it once.
When the music came on, Arno stood for a moment and weighed up the options. On the one hand this was going to count 10% on his report. (I'm wondering - WHICH subject does this count toward - but I leave him to tell the story in his usual Arno style:
"Moooom, the kids in my class, hey... they are actually LIKE nasty. If you even trip then they make fun of you - then you have lost your reputation like..." and so it continues.)
On the other hand, he is concerned about his fragile "reputation" in front of his friends.
"Well, I decided I WANT that 10%", he said. He had no idea of what dance was on that piece of paper, but he started dancing. He demonstrated to us what he did. I wouldn't know what it is called but he rolled his arms, did a funky move with his hands in front of his eyes, and bent over backwards. We laughed so, that the tears were running down our faces. Hey - I didn't know my kid even KNEW moves like that. He hates singing and dancing, so what are the chances that he can pull any dance moves?
Well, apparently the teacher liked it too, and awarded him 18 out of 20 points, despite the fact that it wasn't the dance it was meant to be.
"And MOM - the class applauded. They didn't do that for anyone else". He then said - dad had told him, if ever he forgot words of a speech - to "wing" it. And that is what he did with the dance - he winged it!
Well done Arno - I am so proud of you.
So, the visions have stopped, the locking of the doors is left up to Werner, the pocket knife is once more lying in a drawer forgotten somewhere, and Arno knows dance moves which I have no names for!
I have long wanted to write a piece about him, telling some stories from the time where the Prof left home. They are all loose bits and pieces. The opportunity just needed to be born - and that happened yesterday!
To me, the stories side by side, of old and present, shows a certain growth in maturity and thinking, which makes me a very proud mom today. It makes me think - we did not do too badly through this whole business of divorce.
I can't really remember how long after the Prof left, that these things happened - but it was still in the early days.
The Prof had given Arno a pocket knife. The knife was put in a drawer and forgotten about. But, after the Prof left, Arno began searching frantically for it. It was almost like an obsession, and it broke my heart. To me, it felt like he was trying to keep pieces of his dad, through that knife. He became so upset about it, that we all became involved in searching for the knife. When we eventually found it, he looked at it sadly and asked - now who will teach me to use this? .... Oh boy - heart breaking stuff... things I had no answers to.
Another thing that happened in those early days, is that we started to notice that around evening, the doors became locked. It didn't take long to realise that Arno was locking them. He did this every evening, with a frightening regularity. Eventually I asked him about it, and his reply was as follows: "I don't feel like waking up in the middle of the night - all tied up".
Although it had a sad element - we did laugh about his way of expressing that concern!
The final story of that time, is one I struggle to express. I am not sure what was going on inside his little head, but he began to get very frightening "visions". They weren't dreams... it happened while he was awake. He would "see" things like a man falling down, blood spots spraying around etc. These were petrifying things to have happen, and we had no answers. We didn't understand what was happening, and we didn't know what to do about them. The doctor prescribed sleeping pills, or tranquilisers - or something of that nature.
I think that these "visions" were all part of the stress he was feeling. They have completely stopped, and we have forgotten many of the details of the visions - thank goodness.
Well, now the present day story.
Apparently one of his teachers had given the class some dance instructions, written down on a piece of paper. The class was divided into groups and then told to perform this dance.
His group however, thought they had more practice time, and when it came time for their "performance", they had not even practiced it once.
When the music came on, Arno stood for a moment and weighed up the options. On the one hand this was going to count 10% on his report. (I'm wondering - WHICH subject does this count toward - but I leave him to tell the story in his usual Arno style:
"Moooom, the kids in my class, hey... they are actually LIKE nasty. If you even trip then they make fun of you - then you have lost your reputation like..." and so it continues.)
On the other hand, he is concerned about his fragile "reputation" in front of his friends.
"Well, I decided I WANT that 10%", he said. He had no idea of what dance was on that piece of paper, but he started dancing. He demonstrated to us what he did. I wouldn't know what it is called but he rolled his arms, did a funky move with his hands in front of his eyes, and bent over backwards. We laughed so, that the tears were running down our faces. Hey - I didn't know my kid even KNEW moves like that. He hates singing and dancing, so what are the chances that he can pull any dance moves?
Well, apparently the teacher liked it too, and awarded him 18 out of 20 points, despite the fact that it wasn't the dance it was meant to be.
"And MOM - the class applauded. They didn't do that for anyone else". He then said - dad had told him, if ever he forgot words of a speech - to "wing" it. And that is what he did with the dance - he winged it!
Well done Arno - I am so proud of you.
So, the visions have stopped, the locking of the doors is left up to Werner, the pocket knife is once more lying in a drawer forgotten somewhere, and Arno knows dance moves which I have no names for!
Just to tell you, Roy, who is too busy to even open his mail sometimes, read all your blogs in one sitting yesterday and said he enjoyed them. He probably won't make the time to create a profile for himself and write comments, but thought you'd like to know that you do have another secret follower! J
ReplyDeleteO WOW - that is awesome, especially because I know how busy he is!!!! Thanks for that - it keeps me writing.
ReplyDelete