Scrappy Kids

Have you ever seen those kids that show up to school looking like they just rolled out of bed?

Well, that would be an improvement over how T just went to school. He dressed himself and I let it go. He has his old Superman tee shirt on that has paint on it. It's his special shirt because he was on tv wearing it and the newsperson commented on him and made the camera man zoom in on him. That's a blue shirt. Then he wore black shorts with a red stripe. I tried to tell him it so didn't match but he said there was red and red. How do you explain to a five year old that the little bit of red on the logo and the small red stripe can define an outfit. So I just let him go to school. Oh and we ran out of time while talking about matching and I failed to do his hair.

Today was going to be super busy and things are looking up. The violin teacher called and asked to reschedule for manana. The kids really could use an extra day to practice so I wasn't going to argue. D's therapist's office called and said somehow our standing appointment wasn't booked and we didn't have an appointment for today after all. She wanted to reschedule for another time today or tomorrow. I told her it would be too hard as we have (or at least I thought at that time) violin lessons, swimming lessons, and t-ball practice today along with getting T to K this morning. Then tomorrow I told her we have kindergarten again, D's preschool, and ballet lessons (add in makeup violin lessons now). The schedule is just too tight to squeeze in a last minute appointment. So we aren't going until next week. I don't know if it's really helping him anyway so I am not heartbroken.

It's interesting how kids react differently when they are secure. Today I had D in time out. He wouldn't stop putting his feet all over S. Now that is just a pesty boy thing to do and I know it. It's no grand sin. But I asked him to stop and he continued. Then I told him to again and asked him if he thought it was a kind thing or a gross thing to do. He covers his eyes and pretty much ignores me. I ask him again, and he whispers, "Gross." I tell him to look me in the eyes and tell me and he just won't do it. Now this may not seem like a bad thing but it's a problem because in reality, he just still doesn't acknowledge when he does things that aren't right. This time he couldn't blame it on S but usually he would find a reason (you know, how with my niece it was her fault that he hurt her with the ping pong paddle, it's the chair's fault at church that he screams, etc.). So I ask him to look me in the eyes again or he can go hang out on his bed for a few minutes. He goes back there and starts playing with toys (which he knows isn't a time out thing) and is ticked off at me when I tell him to just sit there. After he has spent a few minutes I go back there to talk to him and he is so smiley and compliant. He looks me right in the eyes, gives me lots of smiles and sits with his hands tucked in his lap. Someone who didn't know him would think he was being the perfect little angel. But it wasn't sincere. And then I thought, "He has a bunch of toys in his lap." So I went over put my arm around him to give him a gentle snuggly squeeze and moved his arm ever so slightly to reveal the toys. He went right back to his regular mode of denying everything. It wasn't his fault he had the toys there. He knows exactly what he is doing. He was trying to pull one over on me. I hope he figures out it's not worth his energy and that in the end he'll be happier if he fesses up and quits being sneaky. He's not the only sneaky one in the family. T is plenty sneaky. But there is something about someone fessing up to something and really feeling sorry.

Okay, and with that I am done. There is always a bunch of work to do. I've actually gotten a bunch done today but, of course, there is always more to do.

Positive Note-Let's see... Today has gotten less busy. That is surely a positive.