Day 2

Day 2 and I can see the transformation in Jenson already. On Wednesday, his final day of school and the last day of school before half term, it was as if someone had stuck a screw in his head and was slowly twisting it, driving it in, making him go slowly insane. He was hyperactive and frenzied, unable to settle and extremely agitated and aggressive.

The day after, and we'd made a space ship by 8.30am and were onto our next craft project. I saw glimpses of my kind and thoughtful son, but only glimpses. The constant taunting of his sister continued as did massive screaming fits as he battled his inner frustrations. By 4pm he was asleep in our bed and by 6pm he was being violently sick.

Today I can feel ourselves realigning. Jenson was up and about as usual from 7am engrossed in another Lego project. We flipped pancakes for breakfast then the craft poured out of the cupboard almost as quickly as it poured out of Jenson. He's like a tap that can't be turned off. He is a real creative force. I can see now that school was a massive bung for him, blocking his bright and engaging imagination and stopping him from really expressing himself how he wanted: through creativity. The coil is slowly starting to unwind and I can see my boy returning.

Free from the stress of the school run, which leaves little time in the morning for anything other than a quick bowl of cereal and a good shouting match, Jenson was super excited about making his bed and tucking 'bunny' in. When he saw me putting on a load of washing he enthusiastically shouted, "let me help" before spotting the hoover and insisting on hoovering up all the rabbit droppings.

He returned to his latest craft project relatively quickly and was soon making pipe cleaner wedding rings for himself and Wren because they wanted 'to get married like Mummy and Daddy'. Following this Wren started putting small polystyrene balls into an envelope she had found and after helping her to tape it up I suggested she might like to address it to Jenson and post it, (we have an old Royal Mail letterbox in our garden that is no longer in use by Royal Mail). We drew a stamp on and popped it in the post!

For Simon and I, this real life learning can't be replicated. It's teaching Jenson invaluable lessons in family life and at this stage in his life, they are the only lessons we want him to be having.