Growing Up is SO Hard to Do!

Gracious what a roller coaster day it's been! After waking up to 6 inches of slushy, muddy snow, which took out the satellite tv, still no progress on my stove and I had to break out the dang gas stove to cook something other than fried foods or fast food (ack! tired of it)! I was feeling a bit low this morning.

But I bucked up, put on my happy face and started counting my blessings. TV came back on after it started to thaw, the snow is disappearing fast, although leaving behind a weekend full of muddy floors, and hubby assured me he'd put more effort into finding that repair man. So off to school we went!

For the past month, poor Cowboy has been dragging to school. He has spring fever, BAD! I know this, because I do too. But I'm holding out until the first week of April to take our break so we have a better chance of sunshine since winter refuses to DIE in our part of the world. Almost everyday, when he's come back from break, he's whining, he resistant, and having a bad attitude, "He doesn't want to go baaaackkkkk to school!" Finally, I told him Monday, if he didn't straighten up his attitude after break, I was going to take the break away because it just making the remainder of the day harder. And granted, it's not been EVERYDAY, but dang near!

Today, it being Friday and all, he started in again after break. I simply told him, "Monday, there will be no break." Oh boy! You should have heard the fuss he made! He said I was being unfair, and mean! and on and on and on he went about how horrible I was being, for a good 3 minutes. I let him get it out of his system and asked, "So, you think I'm just being mean, is that it?" "Yes ...," he said. I said ok, then go. Just go do whatever it is you want to do.

He looked at me, cocked his head all puzzled like, waiting to see if I was kidding. Which I wasn't. I said, "Go on if you want to. You won't get in trouble. If you think I do the things I do just to be mean, then maybe you should call the shots and do what you think is best for you."

He sat there for a second, got up and went to his desk and took out his writing page. I didn't say a word to him. I let him do it, which he did, VERY diligently. He promptly went back to his desk and took out his math page and worked the review side of the page, asked for his speed drill, did it, then asked me to teach him the new content side of the page. I did. He turned his page in, got out his poetry book, reviewed his poem twice. He then did his end of day procedure of putting away his books, turned in his work folders, but he didn't give himself a "challenge sticker" which is a reward for good behavior. He turned on the TV to NCIS (hahaha, little buddy). I asked him what he wanted for lunch, and went to make it. A few minutes passed and he came into the kitchen and asked what he should wear to go play in the snow and I said, "Whatever you want."

He started crying and said, "Mama, stop it! I don't want to do what I want, you're not being a good Mama by letting me do that! I'm nothing without you, I know you only make me do things because you love me, you've never been unfair, I promise! And I'll do whatever you want and give you anything if you just be my mommy again!"

OK, lesson learned :)

I told him, baby, I don't want you to do anything except be obedient and have a good attitude, even when you have to do things you don't want to. That's all I want. You could give me all the money in the world and never fuss about my watching NCIS again, and those things mean nothing compared obedience and a good attitude. You have to have both in this world.

He threw his arms around me and said, "Ok, ok, ok, that's what I'll do, I promise!"

Wowsers, I hope that's the last time we have to do THAT! It broke my heart to watch him learn this lesson, but let's hope it's learned well :)