Knock me down with a feather.

I know year 8 is a *transition year*. OK, Ditz, like many home learners & many visual/spatial learners is all over the board, & her learning is hugely uneven, but her age level is year 8: first year of high school; puberty; hormones; sleep issues; identity crisis. Ugh! Never mind Ditz, I don't think I have coped well. Dealing with Ditz in full flight just makes me feel old & tired & this year we just seem to have battled our way though heavy seas with an undertow, a rip, & the sort of groundswell that just makes me seasick.

For 2 weeks Ditz has been telling me the holidays are nearly upon us. I do not want to know about holidays. This has been a frustrating term but some idiot taught the child to read & she can use the calendar so she knows when school comes out & she can angle for an official break because *everyone's on holidays*. So I never said anything, just worried a little more about how we were going to get everything done that needs doing this term before the term is officially over & I have to battle us back on track after our break.

I won't go into all the other things that need doing round here. Suffice to say I was sitting on the end of Ditz's bed outlining maps for her scrapbook while she waded through her reading & before I read to her & before we locked heads over her math, slowly sinking beneath the rising tide of what Ditz likes to call her *artwork*, when she starts chatting to me. This is a fairly regular Ditz tactic so I sighed & wondered how long we'd digress before I could get us back on track. Still, even at 13, Ditz likes me to keep her company while she works. I find it frustrating when there is so much else waiting for me to do but figure this is one leopard that is never going to change its spots. I have to face it; Ditz likes company. At least she's outgrown wanting me round when she's on the potty just so she has someone to chat to in the bathroom.

''You know, mum,'' says my Ditz, ''I think I should work through these holidays 'cause we're a bit behind.''

Well, knock me down with a feather!

That girl makes me just glow with pride some days! Makes me wonder how much of her fussing is fussing for its own sake, but I will take whatever blessings come my way.

And while I'm at it...our choir music this week was replaced by a German lesson. Ditz did 4 years of German from about grade 2 to grade 5, then decided she wanted to change to French & we've just never got ourselves sorted out on that one so she hasn't done a language the last few years. My French isn't good but my German is non~existent so a neighbour, who is multilingual & very fluent, was tutoring Ditz for German but when we stopped I figured Ditz would forget most of what she'd learnt simply because she wasn't using it regularly. That appears to be not so.

Ditz is rarely bored at choir but she was bored this week as the unwilling class was dragged word by word through a couple of German folk songs ~ to be sung in German. I was cross because 30 odd children, mostly from expensive Private schools, & a 1/2 dozen or so talked throughout the entire lesson. I know it was boring but it is necessary.

Random children were asked to read the German & we got the usual stuttering responses that completely mangled the language. I hadn't realised how frustrated Ditz was until she was asked to read. Naturally she blurted, 'Why me?' but I think that was more a self protective thing because she read an entire page pretty fluently. She only stumbled on one word, one of those long German words that are actually three or four words run together. Even in English you would take it slowly, breaking it down into its syllables; & that's what Ditz did. Yep, one shocked teacher. One child who has been taught (twice over) how to deal with unfamiliar words.

Dare I hope we are making progress? Dare I hope all Ditz's ADD tendencies are maturing into something we can all live with & my lovely flibberty~gibbet is maturing into the Godly young woman we pray for her to be? Grubs are ugly & chrysalis' aren't much to look at either but butterflies are gorgeous & I know you don't get butterflies without grubs & chrysalis soooo...

Yes, I know I've raised 4 others but I haven't raised a Ditz before & Ditz is in a class all of her own!