I'm going to whine now.Be forewarned.
It's 2:43 in the morning and I've finally give up on sleeping. Let's see, my feet were so swollen that it hurt to walk on them yesterday after church and dinner. I don't eat salt. I don't drink soda or anything with caffeine. I do drink plenty of water, but not too much. I have never had this before. I no longer have thin delicate ankles. I have cankles! My left one was even swollen into my arch. At this time of the morning, having had my feet up for so long, sleeping on my left side, having done stretching exercises to promote circulation, they are still swollen.
I also had to get after my eldest boy tonight. I hate doing that because he is such a good kid. I mean, he doesn't run with a bad crowd or drink or get us any burden that way, but he's not doing his school work, not doing makeup work. He was told a week and a half ago that I wasn't going to treat him like a baby, he would have to reap what he sowed.
I checked his online grades ... not a single change in his habits. A test he was suppose to make up LAST Monday? Still not done. Quiz in history? Got a 60% (he didn't feel like studying... ).
This is not how we raised him!
So I had to tell him, after I picked him up from a youth function where he had a great time, that if he doesn't take the test today, he gets to start catching the bus at 6:45 in the morning instead of getting a ride from me at 7:30. Miss the bus? No problem! School doesn't start until 8:15 ... plenty of time to walk.
Taking away the video game system, the cell phone, all extra curricular activities. Told him if I didn't start seeing a minimum grade of 80% for all assignments, he'd REALLY be treated like a baby. You know, bed time at 8:00, including Friday nights. And then on Saturdays I can get him up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. to start doing all the laundry, vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing, gathering downed branches from all over the side yard. You know, so he can get use to the only type of job he's going to be able to get if he doesn't get his act together.
He wasn't like this until we sent him to public school. When he homeschooed he actually WORKED on his studies. Then he went off to public school where he was over a year ahead and never had to do work or study. He just coasted along.
Now he's still doing it even though his grades are rapidly falling three years later.
And my husband just left back off to work. He was only able to be in for THREE DAYS and won't be back until April.
I'm beat.
I'm whiney.
I'm over it all.
~*~*~Krystal~*~*~
7 comments:
Being preggo is hard enough.
I'd massage those swollen tootsies for you, if I could. Just a few ideas: freeze some water in a plastic water bottle, then roll your foot (arch) over it on the floor. Do that for 10 min. or so, then have another bottle with hot water and use it. The alternating hot/cold helps to pump that swelling out, plus it just feels good.
You're a good mama. I hope I have that kind of love-strength when mine are that age. I can already tell I'll need it.
Jen, I'll try that, thank-you!
Don't say I'm a good mama yet! I haven't sent one out into the world to see how he does... But I appreciate the support. I'm needing it about now. :)
We homeschooled our son, who has cerebral palsy. We tried public school, but he could not handle the social pressures.
The shools said he would never learn or function.
He is 24 years old, has the mind of a seventh grader and is beginning to function on his own.
We will certainly include you in our prayers. Get that swelling down.
Tough love, works every time. You mentioned that you just picked the eldest up from a social function of some sort. Eliminate those until 80% is on the books consistently.
For each week that no improvement is seen, eliminate another priveledge, amusement or creature comfort. Of course, announce these punishments well in advance, then follow through no matter what.
If your eldest is pig headed, he will want to see how far you will take things, to what extent you are willing to go. That level should look something like this:
His room has nothing in it except a bed (no sheets), a pillow (no pillow case), and a blanket (a nice, scratchy wool Army blanket is best), a chair, a desk for studying and a lamp, so he can see what he is studying.
That's it. No posters, no pictures, especially no TV, DVD, iPod, nothing in his closet except the ugliest clothes that you can determine will humiliate him the most.
And no door on his room. You want to be able to supervise his studies.
He will have been completely grounded for some time at this point, except for church and school. That's it.
Now that's tough love. Tough on everybody. Works every time, though.
Staff Sergeant Fredd, formerly of US Army Intelligence
Joe, I'm probably going to be homeschooling again next year. I homeschooled until two years ago. Our asperger's child also has a hearing impairment. The greatest homsechooling moment we've ever had was one day he were working phonics and he read "bad" and then a few words later read "bad" again.
I told him to look REALLY close at the second word and see how it was different from the the previous "bad". His eyes got HUGE! The second "bad" was "baT" He got all excited and said, "Mommy! They're different!"
We worked really hard on ending sounds, but once he learned to read, his speech improve dramatically!
But I'm almost positive that we are going to homeschool him through high school. I want to shorten his day to Language, Math, Science, History, Bible, and then work on our own "vo-tech" so he can get a job when we graduates.
Fredd, those were all on our list to implement if things didn't improve! Glad to know I'm on the right track!
He knows I'm evil, evil to the core when I need to be (which I should have been already). He took one test yesterday and has scheduled another for this afternoon. He's asked to skip his Explorers meeting tonight to do catch up work.
Did I mention that he was eligible for his driver's license last week ...
And didn't get it?
Since you've been in the military, you'll like this one. He's planning to enlist after graduation. LOL! That'll welcome him to reality!!!!
Nothing instills discipline in the undisciplined like a nice stint in boot camp. I can tell you this from first hand experience, as can any vet. The more undisciplined you are, the more those sadistic drill sergeants love it in the early going.
The eldest doesn't make his bed regularly? And if he does, it looks roughly as tidy as a rat's nest?
Don't worry. When he comes home on furlough, he'll be able to bounce a quarter off his bunk, and you might cut your finger on his nice, sharp hospital corners...
Fredd, LOL! I have to say, I think our little chit chat made an impression. He's made up one test and a full unit of work. He's 1/3 of the way through another unit of work and is planning to test on it Friday.
Over the weekend he says he's planning on completing the third unit's worth of work and testing on Tuesday (giving Monday in afterschool with the teacher to check his work and make sure it's all done correctly).
We've already marked off the section of our property that is getting cleaned up from branches and such this Saturday as well. His room is clean, his bed made, and his dirty clothes in the basket.
I'm thinking that he just needing reminding of a few things ...
Hey, on Tuesday, my husband was talking about his days in bootcamp. He's big on having the beds made and a shine on his shoes. Of course I challenge him with the shining I give my boots. :)
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