OK, my 11-year-old Jack is out of school for the Summer. And me, I'm thinking, Well, he's older now, he can entertain himself for a while and I'll get some stitching done...Here's just a few of the discussions that occurred before I finally gave up...
“Mom, if I read two hours can I get another hour of computer time?”
No, Jack you’ve already spent two hours on the computer this morning. Go explore something, find out something new about your world...
“How about if I read all day, can I get more time for tomorrow and not for today?”
No, Jack I think two hours in front of a screen per day is more than enough. Go ride a bike.
“Mom can I go out and ride my scooter.”
Yes, wear your helmet.
(8 minutes later)
“Mom where is my helmet?”
I don’t know Jack, did you put it back last time? And, change your shoes, you can’t ride your scooter in flip flops…
“I can’t find any of my shoes”
There's a pair by the front door. (10 minutes later)
“Mom I still can’t find my helmet, will you help me?” (The helmet was on the SEAT of his scooter!)
“Mom, can I have lunch now?” Yes. “Will you make it for me?”
Not today, Bud. How about you make it for yourself?
“AAAWWWW, I want you to make it for me.”
Don't we all? I think you can handle it, Big Guy. You're 11 years old.
Then ensued a 15 minute discussion on the importance of self-reliance. Followed by 10 minutes of quiet, before a scream issued from the kitchen and I ran pell-mell convinced of first-degree burns. He had overestimated the amount of soup and the size of the bowl so hot broth had overflowed his bowl and spilled all over the counter and floor. Learning curves can be steep sometimes….
No, buddy, the going rate for a paperback is 50 cents.
“No way, that’s too cheap! They're good books! I’m not selling them…”
Then ensued a 15 minute discussion on the pricing/buying/selling and economics of garage sales…
“Mom, what time is swim practice tonight? Do you know where my stuff is?”
To make a long story short...The bathing suit from last year doesn’t fit, the beach towels were in the linen closet where they're supposed to be, the goggles were hanging on a hook in the garage and needed to be cleaned and the swim bag was shoved under the bed behind dirty socks and other toys that should have been put away when Jack was sent to clean his room…Needless to say, we then pulled all those months of junk from under the bed and he had to clean all of that up….which led to another long list of questions and discussions…
“Hey Mom, guess what? I figure if I sell everything tomorrow in the yard sale, I’ll make $108! Wouldn’t that be awesome?”
That WOULD be awesome!
And I’m thinking, Wouldn’t it be awesome if manning the garage-sale table would occupy him for half the day so I could stitch…
I know the reality…Tomorrow will come with another list of questions and discussions. And, I will love him. For we all know, he will not need me too much longer and he will be gone much too soon. But do you think they have an Organization Camp for Pre-Teens? Are they all like this, or is mine just a particularly bad case?
So much for “Do Not Disturb” and Playing with Needles…I still have hope for tomorrow…
(Note: The little kitten was made from a kit given to me by my grandmother when I was 10 when I was first learning to stitch.)
It all sounds quite normal to me! My girls are 13 and 15 and I still have the same sorts of conversations with them. And heaven help me if I don't supervise when they decide to pull out the fabric stash to make something, or pull out the paints to paint a picture. I have found that the best way to get them to find something creative to do is to suggest that they clean something!
ReplyDeleteMargaret
First, as a cat fan, I think your label is beautiful :-) That was the good news.
ReplyDeleteI have two grown up daughters, 26 and 24. I raised them to be self-reliant, and at the age of your son, they were able to prepare their lunch alone. They had no problem to live on their own when they went away. Sounds good, doesn'it? When they come back to visit, they behave as teenagers, avoiding to see the dirty dishes and quite happy to find the shopping done and the meal cooked :-) And I don't speak of how they leave their room :-) But as they sleep late, I have my time for stitching!
I think he is quite normal, and you too!
Oh, the joys of not having kids!!!=) I think you're spot on to restrict computer time - well done! PCs become baby-sitters in too many homes and then we wonder why so many kids are fat and have no social skills!!
ReplyDeleteLove your cat and I must bookmark your blog. Can't think how I missed it before. If you haven't seen mine, you might enjoy a quick look too.=)
That kitten is Chessie, the mascot of the C & O Railroad line...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chessieshop.com/cgi-bin/
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That link is all one thing...I just broke it up so it would fit here in the comments section.
I your drill with Jack well...can you get your stitching done during his computer time?