There's been so much stress going on with DD as of late, that it becomes easy to neglect the positive. DS has really come so far from our stressful days a few years ago, and has had an especially good year this year. Complete rages are rare, and when he does get angry, he is better able to let it go, and much more quickly. The best part is, he has gained skill at recognizing when something has caused stress during the day and being able to talk about it rather than spending the evening getting mad at everything.
One of the places I've seen him make great strides is in sports. He has always been so hard on himself, and angry when he decides he's too short, doesn't make enough baskets, doesn't hit a home run, etc., etc. He is very supportive of other kids who flub, he just can't extend the same compassion to himself.
The past few years he has been on the school's basketball team, and blessed with a great coach who is perfect for DS's personality type. It's obvious the coach cares for all the kids, but he doesn't pussyfoot around. If you're not toeing the line, he lets you know it. If DS starts to get mad, he gets benched until he pulls it together. DS has learned he can spend time mad on the bench, or getting over it and get in the game.
His team has had a particularly good season this year, and they won 2nd place at the State Tournament. They have now been invited to Nationals, so we will all travel 8 hrs. away to cheer them on at the end of this month. What an amazing experience for him!
