Being a proud mom, I didn't give the comment "his behavior has gotten better" much thought. I'll admit, I did feel a bit anxious about the title of "Most Improved" because I am a hopeless perfectionist. As such, improvement implies less than perfect to begin with. Yes, I know. No one is perfect. I'm not perfect. My kids are not perfect. Still. That is the goal.
Without going too far off into my ADD La-La-Land, today I got a note from his teacher. She wants to meet with us. About my son. And his behavior. While it has improved in her class, it is far from stellar outside of class. To be more specific, he throws tantrums at lunch, in the gym, while in art class...UGGGHH! Apparently, my adorable little boy acts like a certified B.R.A.T. in front of other people.
*insert horrified gasp and that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach*
I try so hard to be a good mother, and still my worst fears are materializing.
When things don't go E's way or he doesn't get what he wants, he breaks into complete meltdown hysterics. My kid is one of those high-maintenance, tantrum-throwing, whiney butts that I spent my single years avoiding.
When things don't go E's way or he doesn't get what he wants, he breaks into complete meltdown hysterics. My kid is one of those high-maintenance, tantrum-throwing, whiney butts that I spent my single years avoiding.
I can remember sitting in a restaurant and thinking God I wish those people would shut that kid up! And I cannot believe that woman lets her kid act that way in public! I even thought there's nothing wrong with him that a good ass-whooping can't cure!
Here I am, a former smoker, drinker, and full-blown party girl who gave it all up to get married and have kids. I stopped all destructive behaviors for fear that my children would be exposed to them. I made a complete 360 for the sake of my family; yet, it doesn't even freaking matter.
My kid acts no different from his classmate, a former crack baby who still wears Pull-Ups. All my theories about the importance of good role models flew out the window today. It's very likely that my child is no more likely to be successful and well-adjusted than the kid whose mom is in jail for cooking meth.
Lord, I need an intervention before I blow my paycheck on a carton of cigarettes, a case of Grey Goose Vodka, and a one-way ticket to Vegas!
3 comments:
Don't be so hard on yourself. Kindergarten aged kids are still babies. He'll probably grow out of it.
My youngest son set my mother's house on fire when he was 6 years old. (fortunately it only damaged one bedroom and my husband got it under control pretty fast). Around the same age, he finagled himself behind the steering wheel of my car, put it in neutral, backed in down the driveway right on top of a big gray electrical box in my neighbor's yard across the street. Today, he's a sweet, respectful, rule-abiding 13-year-old boy with just a weeeeee bit of quick temper when big bro plays smack-n-run. Trust me, I totally went through many months of fretting that my child was going to grow up to be the next Ted Bundy. This too shall pass.
Ironically, my kids have always done the opposite...act like angels at school/in public and save their "acting up" for at home. People tell me I am fortunate in this respect, but it's very shocking at parent/teacher conferences. "I wish I had ten of your son/daughter." Wait a minute...you DO know who my kid is, right?
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