Last night Dan took Olia to Dave and Busters, an indoor arcade. They have skee ball, games, food, etc. It is sort of like an indoor boardwalk! People earn tickets as they play the games. (You need about a MILLION tickets to be able to redeeem them for anything other than a lollipop!) Olia plays a reality jump rope game and earns tons of tickets. A few people were watching her and one guy said to Dan, "Can I borrow her so we can earn some tickets?" Olia spent a lot of time jump roping in Ukraine. When there aren't a whole lot of things to play with outdoors at the orphanage, jump ropes are very much used and valued. Olia's school had a jump rope contest last week. She won in her class at gym.
Olia said that the girls in her class told her that four boys in her grade like her. They probably like her because she is quite outspoken and isn't silly like many girls. I think fourth grade is much too young for any of that girl and boy stuff, but I guess it is the way of the world. Olia only thinks of boys as friends or kids to play with at recess. And I like it that way!
Olia has become quite a procrastinator when she doesn't want to do something. The something is usually one of her responsibilities like cleaning her room or windexing in the kitchen. She finds any excuse to do something else! Her complaining has gotten so much better, but it is still there. Yesterday she lost TV for an hour because she would not practice flute after I had told her to do that several times, and she answered me with an attitude! She thought that after she apologized and practiced that she could watch TV. But I let her know that consequences are followed through with and that if she doesn't want the consequence, then she shouldn't do the behavior! Today Olia wanted to wash her Barbie dolls before she did anything else. I made it quite clear to her that she had to do all of her responsibilites first(clean her room, read, and vacuum). Olia gets paid ten dollars for vacuuming and it takes her about forty-five minutes to vacuum the house. She said she didn't want the money and wasn't going to vacuum and that she was going to wash her dolls first no matter what I said. I told her that I would put her on the chair and that if she got up she would have one very sore bottom! I have never spanked Olia(I do put her on the chair for time-outs), but I've made it clear that she is NOT the one who decides that she can get off the chair. As I walked towards her, she apologized and started cleaning her room!
Kids need to know that parents are the authority figures. I am very kind and nice to my children; but there is no mistaking that this is not a democracy! Olia use to vacuum the house without stopping. Now she takes a five minute break after she vacuums every room. She said she needs a break because she gets tired. During her break, she jump ropes; so it is merely a procrastination technique. I don't mind that she takes the breaks, but it just draws out the job!
I am thinking about hosting this summer. Adoptions in Ukraine are almost at a standstill. A new "old" director of the SDA has been appointed. This woman, who had previously been director a few years ago, does not really care about children getting adopted. Our facilitator has a private email group and has been telling everyone that adoptions are only going to get harder and fewer. This director is limiting the number of accepted dossiers and prefers that children be fostered in Ukraine rather than be adopted by foreigners. Apparently somehow she earns money by having more kids fostered. Our facilitator is trying to work through their government to change things, but it is a VERY slow process. And in the meantime, children are languishing in orphanages.
