Family of One

Do "they" really mean to "cherish every moment with your children"?

I could do without these frequent moments with my preteen son.

His attitude about EVERYTHING is horrible. Unless, of course, it is about HIM!

He thinks because he thinks homework is stupid and pointless he should not have to do it. He thinks that because his brothers are stupid and pointless he should not have to deal with them. Everything is pointless and stupid.

His teacher emailed me Friday and asked me to help him get started on a writing project. He was supposed to do the outline this weekend for a five paragraph paper. He had started it, but it was so off topic the teacher could not make sense of it. He didn't do it. I told him to do it this evening. He said it was stupid and pointless and she was not taking a grade on it (too bad, she emailed me and asked me to help him get it done!)

Friday, while he was cleaning, Isaac asked if he could play with the Lincoln Logs. I told him he could. There was a house built on their floor and Isaac was playing with the house. He was not tearing it down or messing it up, just playing with it and cars. Caleb walked in the room and kicked the house, Lincoln Logs flying. When we asked why he did it, he said it was not Isaac's house. The Lincoln Logs are not just Caleb's. He can't build something and leave it built for a week and get mad when someone else plays with them.

And what happens when we do something special for him and get something that is JUST for him. NO RESPECT OR APPRECIATION! Before we went to the beach we bought him an MP3 player. There was no reason for us to buy it. We got it because we love him and knew he had been wanting one and figured it would be nice for him to have for the car trip with his brothers.

When we gave it to him we explained that he absolutely could NOT take it to school and that if he did he would lose it for good. I found out Saturday that he took it to school the week he got it, and it was taken up by his teacher. He knew he would lose it, so he did not even bother to tell us it had been taken up.

We changed our cell service this weekend. We planned on getting him a cell phone for Christmas because it was not very much to add him. That was before finding out about him MP3 player. Now, he might find out that he is not entitled or owed anything.

I cannot guarantee that this is a moment in time that I necessarily want to treasure. I AM grasping for dear life at ANY moment that I can treasure. I am afraid they will become fewer and further between before they start multiplying!