Your best bet may be to find some general congestion charge videos (ie, not NYC-specific coverage). Most of what I’ve come across is extremely sparse—offering only the facts of the suggested charges with little analysis—or absurdly car-centric outrage bait.
I’ve had to explain to far too many friends and colleagues why congestion fares are just and necessary—most have absolutely no conception of the damage (private) vehicles do to any environment, but especially a pedestrian-heavy urban space.
Posted mere moments after I set a batch of cold brew to do its thing! Oh well, next week I guess—no bad way to start a Monday.
I loved Magic Tree House at his age! That’s exactly what I was thinking—MTH is wonderful for escapism. If you can get him onto something that exercises his mind, that’s the ideal, hence my drawing, reading, and chess suggestions—anything he can sustain in isolation and when low on funds or access to shops.
Edit: magic tricks if he’s dexterous!
Unfortunately his mother is still his guardian, so she may very well one day pick up and leave with him. In that situation, at least he’ll have the skills to keep growing his interest(s) and entertain himself.
As others have said, simply providing a stable place to be around another child and adult will do leaps and bounds. But if possible I would work on helping him get into activities he can do on his own when he is dragged to mom’s work and told to sit quietly in a corner or sent to the disinterested aunt—because that’s bound to happen again.
Maybe try discovering if he likes reading and what sort of material? Children’s paperbacks can be found inexpensively; library cards are free either for a physical library or digitally. If you find he’s into reading, an on-sale Kindle could be an option that you regularly load up with Libby ebooks.
How about a small sketchbook and a few pencils if he’s artistically minded? He doesn’t need a whole kit, just a few pieces for him to pass the time. If he’s into games, perhaps teach him solitaire or get him a travel chess set. Maybe sports are more his things, then fantasy football or some such.
I think teaching and helping him develop some low-cost, unobtrusive coping mechanisms could really save his mental health in the long-term. It’s a bit grim having to suggest all these solitary activities for a child, but the reality is that he will find himself in these isolating situations again. Giving him the tools to develop interests and hobbies without his mother/aunt’s intervention will put him in a better psychological place as he ages and will provide naturally-occurring encounters with potential friends who share his interests.
Hahahaha she’s gotten me a few times, then reality of a tenuous financial situation got the better of her song. As soon as things are settled it’s number one on my list.
Thank you kindly. It was a slow path here, but each step has been such fun!
Course: top left is the Fellow Ode grinder with SSP burrs next to the Fellow kettle. I made the little shelf myself with a cutting board and some shelf riser legs. Tucked beneath is a small black tray with the James Hoffmann dosing cup and spray bottle on the left (I believe the dosing cup has been discontinued, sadly) atop the Acaia Lunar scale, while on the right is the Hario V60 01 in glass with an olive wood holder. In the back of the tray are my filter papers in a generic black metal holder and my daily supplements. Also in the tray is a lone chopstick used for stirring. Photobombing on the right is my pride and glory KitchenAid stand mixer.
I was sent to a series of the ‘better’ programs—i.e., the ones without deaths attached to them. It took a decade of therapy to deal with the worst of the trauma and I still experience PTSD episodes several times each year. It’s astounding how these facilities carry on functioning with merely a name change. There’s almost no regulation, let alone patient rights. My first program was truly one of the better ones and they had patient rights information posted through the facility and hard copies provided in your welcome packet. When I was sent to my second program (wilderness), I asked what my patient rights were. I received dumbfounded stares followed by laughter.