It is Monday morning and Seth is out of town. I have geared myself up for a lot of solo parenting this week. I am on a roll making lunches, feeding the kiddos breakfast and helping them get dressed. I am in the home stretch and am almost to the car to take them to school.
Max grabs his chest and falls to the ground telling me his chest hurts. If this was any other kid a mom may be upset by this! I tell Max to get his shoes on and that he is going to school! It is always something with Max!
Max holds his chest and moans and groans. “My chest, my chest,” Max is now yelling! I explain to Max that he probably has indigestion from drinking his smoothie too quickly. I hand him water and tell him to try burping. I was almost to the car! I almost had a smooth morning!
Max starts burping and smiling cause he is feeling better and thinks burping is hysterical! 8 year old boys love burps and farts! Ok, looks like the chest crisis is over!
Max realizes he has nothing in his backpack besides his lunch and snack and starts freaking out that I lost his stuff (agenda, folder, notebook). I calmly tell him he didn’t bring anything home. “It is all your fault!” Max yells and starts crying! I am trying to understand how forgetting stuff at school is my fault?
I want to scream. I want to hide and cry but I gather myself and take a deep breath. If I am calm and sweet my kids calm down. If I scream and get pissed the situation escalates.
“Max it is ok to forget things. Your teacher and I don’t expect you to be perfect and I doubt she gave you homework after your Halloween party.” Somehow this came out of me. Sometimes I actually like what I say! It is much better then what I really want to say!
“Ok but please walk me in and help me talk to my teacher!” Max is holding back a total meltdown. 1) He needs to be able to admit when he does something wrong! 2) He needs to be calmer about things! I have a lot of work to do to teach all of this to Max.
I drive the kids to school and walk Max to class. There in his desk is his folder, agenda and notebook. I flip open his agenda to show him he had no homework. His teacher looks at me and I explain the situation. She assures Max he had no homework and Max then proceeds to flip out about his library book! Everything is not a big deal! Oh, and there is his library book on the floor! He forgot he brought it! Get me out of here!
Off to get a big coffee even though it should probably be a big glass of wine! Max is a wonderful kid. He is smart and funny and so sweet. Max is also not easy! I am absolutely exhausted and it is only 9 am!
