Its all about Lunchtime & Recess

James and Andrew LOVE going to school.  Seriously.  When we drop them off in the morning, they literally run from our car to the school.  They cannot wait to get there and start the day.  I love their enthusiasm. They are still young enough that they are excited about doing their homework, to practice their math facts on the drive to school, and to read books.

That being said, if you ask them what their favorite part of school is, they are sure to respond with the same two answers: Lunchtime and Recess.  They are little boys after all.  Its no surprise that their favorite times of the day are running around with their friends and eating food. 

Earlier this week, we got home after school Andrew informed me that he had an early lunch and only ten minutes to eat, so he wasn't able to finish very much of his lunch, so he was 'starving.'  I told him he could open his lunchbox and finish what was left.  He wasn't kidding.  His crackers, strawberries, pudding and slim jim were still in there (the strawberries are in there to balance out the slim jim).  By the way, what kid doesn't finish his dessert?!?  Surely not one of mine!

I opened James' lunchbox and discovered every last bite had been eaten.  I was confused as to why they had such different amounts of time for lunch.  When I commented about the discrepancy, Andrew then told me that the reason James had time to finish his lunch was that James was the very last person outside for recess.  Aha!  The reason Andrew didn't have time for lunch was that he wanted to get to recess.  I thought it was hilarious and very telling about the twins' different priorities that while James is very extroverted, he cares more about being hungry whereas Andrew just wanted to get outside with his friends (forget the food). 

Tonight, the importance of lunchtime and recess came up again.  There is a sign language club that is going to be meeting during Monday lunchtime & recess starting later this month.  Each kindergartener and first grader is eligible to participate if their parent signs a permission slip.  I didn't really have an opinion one way or the other about the boys doing it, so I told them about it the other day and said they could decide.

At bedtime tonight, I asked them what their decisions about sign language club were going to be.  I explained that they didn't have to both do the same thing either.  They both were emphatic that they wanted to do the club, so I said I'd sign the papers and put them in their backpacks for tomorrow.

About five minutes later, James came downstairs crying.  He decided he didn't want to do sign language club.  I'm not sure if they talked to each other about it after we tucked them into bed or if he just had all the "cons" flood his mind after we left the room.  At any rate, he was worked up about the possibility of missing out on time with his friends during lunchtime recess and was very weepy.  We assured him that it was fine if he didn't want to do it and that he might be able to do it the next year, but that he had to make a final decision one way or the other.  I re-read him the information sheet on the club and he decided "no" saying that his friend Owen wasn't going to do the club either and would miss playing with him (the start of friends being more important than anything else?).  I'm not sure if his friend Owen is doing the club or not, so it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out for James.

While James was returning to bed, Andrew came tumbling down the stairs and said he didn't want to do it either.  He wasn't crying about it, just sad.  We told him the same things as James.  Then he asked me to read the paper to him again with the instructions.  After I did, he decided that he'd stick with his original decision to do the sign language club.  I'm not sure if its the idea of learning sign language or the idea of performing a song at the April school meeting that enticed him back in.  Or, maybe he just stopped second-guessing himself with James back upstairs.  I'm not sure.

After they were both in bed, Jon and I marveled (and laughed) at the drama that the tiny decision had caused in our house.  I'm sure this is just the beginning.

As a mom of identical twins, I find these moments where the boys are able to make different choices and have different interests from each other are awesome.  Its so hard for me to give them those possibilities at home with our schedule constraints and the demands of being a family of six.  So, I love that they are getting these chances at school to be different from each other if they want to be.  James and Andrew are still each best friends but they are learning how to make decisions apart from each other and to be their unique selves.  Its fun to watch even if it comes with some tears, second guessing and extra discussions.