After much insistence from Mati, we finally organized for him to have his first horseback riding lesson. He was very happy and did well, so much so that we'll be having weekly lessons from now on. His buddy Pablo joined as well and he'll also be taking this weekly class with Mati - but they will be separated during the class. Right away, the instructor spotted their intense relationship (= they like to be wild) and suggested that each one have their own 30 minute slot.
I loved the class. While not being too draconian, the instructor demanded silence (what a pleasant break for my ears!!!) - for the horses sake: so they wouldn't get scared. I'm hoping that this little bit of discipline will help Mateo. We've been having so many behavior issues lately with him that I'm in desperate need of new discipline techniques. Time out has been maxed out and is no longer effective.
Unfortunately, he's been absorbing negative behavior from his friends and classmates. On Wednesday, he kicked me; on Thursday, he punched his friend Luciano on the arm; on Friday, he called his friend Juan Lucas "tonto". More and more he's talking like his friends from school, with their mannerism and, sadly, their bad words. He talks about killing with a gun, or kicking someone if he perceives that person to be bad. He's rough with Santi. I had a very serious talk with him yesterday about all of this. Telling him how sad and disappointed I was, emphasizing that in our house we had rules, STRICT rules about how to behave. It's gotten to the point where I've told him that either his attitude changes or I'm pulling him out of school. I'm going to ask his teacher for a conference to discuss the issue but with 27 kids in the classroom, I don't know how much help we can realistically expect from her. We'll see ...
The end of the galloping part. He didn't like it very much, but managed well.
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