Parenthood - 2020-08-28 7.5 ish years

August 28, 2020

At seven and a half Matthew is showing signs of calming down.

Obsessed with horses, computer drawing and building things, he's shown a keen interest in doing things with computers and would very much like to have his "own" password.

Elizabeth describes him as "wild, bouncy and annoying if he wants to be. He likes big cats, building and creating new things." She says her favourite thing about him is how generous he can be.

He likes to hang out with Elizabeth, but will settle for other kids his own age as long as they are "not being mean". He enjoys playing on his own, but in the company of other kids. In general he gravitates towards slightly older kids. He doesn't like kids that are too "wild", although he finds them interesting in small, controlled doses.

Biking, building forts and climbing trees are all activities he likes to do. His favourite video series is currently Inspecteur gadget. He's recently gotten into minecraft and likes to build while Amelia watches and provides suggestions. He enjoys taking photos and videos.

He is not overly fond of writing, unless it's to write a secret message to Elizabeth. He loves cooking and is quite keen to demonstrate his abilities in the kitchen, with as little help as possible. In general the kitchen isn't a place he acts up. He's also quite interested in sewing, especially with the machine and is surprisingly competent. He does not always wait or listen to instructions, sometimes to his chagrin.

Quick-tempered but empathetic, he's sensitive to the emotions of others and once he's calmed down he's willing and eager to put aside grievances. He's also a bit of a perfectionist that will rage badly through a task because he's sure he can't do it to his standards.

He eats most things without too much complaining. He loves chocolate shredded wheat and will practically eat half a box for breakfast.

He is a good student although he has a tendency to not ask for clarification this year as he knows he can just ask mommy or daddy. Generally speaking he seems to be ahead in math and more or less on track for other subjects. His reading in French has made great progress.

He still loves to tinker with things and is eagerly suggesting that he could use some more tools. He does have a tendency of trying things out rather than reading instructions which doesn't always work out, but he doesn't seem to mind too much when things get destroyed in the process.

Overall he is a very happy boy who loves to explore the world around him continuously.