We are happy to report that our nesting and keeping Karina tight at home is working. She is feeling confident to reach out more now, and in fact, received her first phone call directly to her from a friend she met at Park #2! Of course, we accepted the kind invite and she and Brenna had a blast! She is meeting more kids now and willing to reach out and feel more comfortable with American kids. Wii is a great help, because it spans the language barrier with easy to understand interaction activities. Other firsts this week (week #5) included:
* a shut down at Target because she did not have enough money to buy what she wanted, but then, after thinking about it, realized that she should earn the money needed and go back later to Target. (Side note: I set up a way for her to be in total control of earning money, not an allowance, but doing math problems for 20 cents a page. She needs the practice, and she needs to learn money skills, and she needs a job that she can do anytime without us and achieve any level of advancement she can accomplish. Of course, she has to solve the problems correctly!)
* going back to Target and making her first purchase with her money! She decided what she wanted, she did the math skills to figure out what she could and could not afford, we talked about saving some, and she checked out all by herself! She was soo, I mean sooo very proud! She bought earrings and a red wallet!
* inviting her friend from ESL, XiJing and XiJing's family for lunch and choosing to serve hotdogs and huge marshmellows that we can roast over the fire.
* and thinking about a gift for Papa for father's day! We saw a extra large coffee mug and that seemed perfect! Karina cannot keep a secret so Papa knows about it, but it is awfully funny!
We are doing OK and all is well. It is a blessing that kids are so resilient. There are many exciting lessons to learn.
No comments:
Post a Comment