The summer has ended and the kids have gone back to school. My youngest turned 11 in June. He knows everything. He can raise himself. He doesn't need an education. All he needs is to be left alone. According to him.
I know he's at the cusp of pre-teen hormone / testosterone crap but that doesn't make me feel any better. If I slap my head anymore with my palm, I swear my brains will turn to mush and just drain out my ears. I miss that kid that was sad to go to school "because I'll miss you too much". The one that hugged me and always had "I love YOU more" fights with me. This one I want to junk punch back into the past so I can have that other kid from before. I wouldn't, of course. I love the little jerk face. I've not raised a hand to my kids in more years than I can count but this one...he's pushing it.
I started seeing the changes in 3rd grade. His teacher was a bully and we told her so. We told the school board and they were going to look into it. Of course we never heard another word and we homeschooled the youngest. 4th Grade comes and he liked his teacher but was flunking hard in social studies. Every time we'd talk to the teacher he'd tell us they kids weren't allowed to take home their books or notebooks, that his work should be done in class. Us: "Well, um, he's failing so clearly he needs to study at home before a test." Teacher:"Oh he's fine." We just keep telling our kid "hang in there, soon you'll be in 5th and you'll have other teachers."
5th Grade brings 4 teachers instead of one, to prepare them for Middle School. One of them is awfully familiar. You guess it yet? Yep. Mr Social Studies has moved to 5th grade as...wait for it...his SS teacher. SMDH. So 5th grade was...great. All along we're helping him, same problems, telling him to hang in there that he can't possibly be in MS too.
6th Grade, finally, all new teachers. He's been in this school for a full month now. Here's the run down.
*Youngest already been fussed on by the bus driver for being too loud and obnoxious
*Needed two locks for locker and gym locker. Got him 2 matching combination locks. Refuses to use them, says they are confusing and he just can't get it. Got him two mismatched key-locks. Had to get them after school started so they were down to the more expensive ones. One is too long, the other too fat and won't fit the locker. Find out that he only needs one till next semester anyway. Finally get him a lock that will fit and has a key. Took 3 weeks but he got the lock. Two matching locks, matching keys. Can't screw this up. Or can we? Lost his key the second day, left it somewhere at home. Third day with new lock I gave him the spare key, forgot it while putting on his shoes. I told him at the bus stop that I don't care anymore if his crap is stolen, have them cut the lock. Long story short (but see below) no lock anymore, locks intact, I have both keys.
*Knucklehead gets a pass to go to the office and have his lock cut. Leaves SS with note, goes to the office, they are sending someone to cut the lock. 45 minutes pass, SS is over, My kid is still sitting at his locker waiting for no one to come cut the lock. WTF.
*In the course of a month he's got 6 missing things from Language class. Some of it was to be done in class but he didn't have his locker key...so he said. Now he tells me they don't put their books in the lockers. GRR. I talk with the Language teacher (who is also his home room teacher, 1st period Reading teacher and Language for 5&6th periods...yep Language and Math at this school requires 2 class periods for all students) and she works with him. I think he's caught up now. (Oh please Sweet Baby Jesus)
*ISS. Little precious has been in In School Suspension during lunch period for over a week now. 3 days last week for belching in the hall and cackling like he'd lost his mind. Apparently that wasn't enough for him. They told him then that if he came back for the same thing it was double. Yep. This time in someone's face and cackles like a mad scientist. SMH.
*Math teacher sent him to the office to have the VP call home. AngelFace was flailing his arms in class (he's smack dab center of this class). When the teacher asked him "Do you want all day ISS? Maybe I'll send you to the office. Is that what you want?" He looked her dead in the eyes and said "yup." According to him, however, he was trying to get a spider off of him (he has a phobia) and he didn't know what else to tell her when she didn't believe him.
*SS he's failed a few things but the sub in there (teacher is out til xmas with cancer treatments) has been allowing him to redo them and try to get a passing grade.
*Every evening after school he refuses to do work until 7pm. Throws a fit to go upstairs. When I do make him do his work he takes it upstairs to listen to what the kids these days call ear rape. Thanks Youtube.
*Never puts his work back in his binder. When he does it's shoved whereever and never gets turned in.
*Morning is a nightmare. NIGHTMARE. He insists that I walk him to the bus. I can't seem to figure out why. He hates me. 6am I go turn on his computer so he can get up, play something, watch a video, whatever. I gave up continuing to try to get him up. I go get coffee, hang out until 6:30. From 6:30-7pm I'm on the bed with him, hugging him, kissing his head, talking to him, sometimes I bring the dog and let the dog attack him with a dog toy, sometimes I shake the bed. Either way, the bus is here between 7:15-7:25 every morning. Not just outside the door but a 5 minute walk up the driveway...it's long. We have to get out of here no later than 7:10. Again, long story short, every day I end up putting clothes on the ragdoll who wakes up long enough to scream at me that he's just tired, he just wants to sleep, why can't I home school him again, stop snooping on his computer, whatever. This morning I had to dress him, stand him up and walk him to his door, which I pushed him out of. He went down the stairs on his own and I walked up with he and his older brother (16 and the best damn 16 yr old around) to the bus stop. Yesterday we moved a bench my hubby built to the end of the driveway to wait for the bus. At least they have a place to sit now.
I am legitimately at my wits end. I know I'm enabling him. I don't have a good vehicle or I'd just drive them up to school. I have things in place to shut off electronics at a certain time. He gets up and turns them back on. He gets punished and instead of taking it he comes down here with hubby and I and literally spends all his time beside us, talking, whining, negotiating, aggravating the dog. Hubby works from 7:15-3:30 every day coding websites. He comes home and just wants quiet. If I let the youngest behave like a fool then hubby's mad, had a bad night and bad next day. You know the saying "when mommy has a bad day, everyone has a bad day" nope... daddy. We're about to get drastic on the kid. His older brother, the saint, is to the point of jumping in and fussing on him when dad's gone on to work just to get the kid out the door. He's mad the younger one has a complete lack of respect for himself and others. yup, me too but yelling fixes nothing. Of course, neither does taking things away, bribes or just avoiding him. 7 more years and he'll be an adult. I hope to God I can talk some sense into the kid before then or he'll be in jail all his life. sigh.
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