More on Frankie

Here are the things about Frankie that I know will continue: he does not speak clearly which with my hearing problem is a frustration. He doesn't stay focused on a conversation. This morning he asked me about the tea that I had made and seemed really interested (although I knew it was not about the tea but about making a good impression on me). I started to answer him and he said, "You sure do like your tail, don't you?" I wondered if I misheard and he had said, "You sure like your tea, don't you?" which was a silly question because we were just taking about how much I liked tea. I looked over from the dishes I was washing and he was looking down at the puppy who was chewing on his tail.

He does that sort of thing a lot. Last night Evan was telling him something and Frankie pulled up his shirt to look at his ribs and asked Evan if his ribs had this particular feature. Evan looked at me and laughed silently. It really shows, by the way, how much Evan has grown up.

Actually that might be an example of a slightly different thing. Last evening Frankie found a lot of reasons to pull up his shirt and ask Evan about something: has this bruise healed, does this rib looks funny, does he has a spot on his side, or... Note that even if I am in the room I am not the one that he wants to look at his ribs. Evan is very aware of what is happening. He is doing the very good big-brother thing. He stays at a distance, glances at what he is being asked to look at, and then speaks in an adult-to-child reassuring voice.

Andrew isn't interacting with him much. He is able pretty accepting of Frankie's oddness and distractability. This is what Andrew wanted -- a kid who he did not have to interact with much. Andrew will concentrate on being a senior and getting ready to leave home.

Frankie is also not showing annoyance with Brian. It is a subtle thing. With a lot of kids you can see that they are struggling not to be annoyed with Brian. Frankie just doesn't seem annoyed. In some ways they are pretty similar. Both are slightly odd characters, tend to announce facts, and have issues with anxiety. I don't know if they will turn out to be kindred spirits who understand each other, or if they will each be annoyed by the other.

And one more anecdote: last night Evan was talking to me while I was cleaning the kitchen. Frankie walked in and started putting dishes in the dishwasher. Evan said, "What's he doing?" I said, "He's helping without even being asked!" Frankie said, "I really enjoy helping with household chores." Evan laughed loudly, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, he's new. He'll get over it."

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Gone For Now