Greenlake orientation

Jordan’s upcoming middle school is in Greenlake, a fun and dense neighborhood with lots of amenities and very little parking. Unlike in elementary school, students are just released, not signed out by a parent. (!) Jordan won’t be able to go home on his own, so he and his friends are likely to go somewhere nearby to hang out while they wait for parents to show up – the library, the bookstore, the Starbucks, etc. This is one of the reasons I think he needs a phone, to tell me where he is.

Technology is good but he also needs to be able to just find his way around like a regular person. So the other day, he and I spent part of an afternoon getting oriented in the neighborhood. We started at the school and walked together to each location (school, library, bookstore, Starbucks, grocery store with frozen yogurt next door). I let him lead as much as possible, and it was very entertaining to see him actively locating himself – peering down side streets, checking street signs, noting landmarks – it made me aware that normally, he is very much the passenger in life. After we had made one round, he made another round on his own: his job was to go to each place and take a photo, then come back to me, sitting in the park. (I watched him on FMF.) He relished this and was very successful. The only hard part was crossing Greenlake Way, a busy street with a weird five-way intersection. We practiced that a few times afterwards. He was rather chagrined to have to practice crossing the street, but he put up with it, and I think it was worthwhile. That intersection is confusing for anybody.

Overall I think this was a big hit! He feels newly confident in the neighborhood, and excited about taking more responsibility for himself.