I am enjoying what is playing out at home now with the prospect of above-grade-level testing on the horizon. DS10 is aware he has forgotten a lot, especially in grammar. He is concerned that he might score lower on testing now than a year ago.
*I* am not sharing the same concern. I'm working on boundaries - his life, his behavior, his consequences.
He asked me for access to IXL.com to review english/grammar. I told him if he did chores all afternoon, I would pay for a month of access to IXL. I didn't think for a moment that he would follow through. BUT HE DID! I had a relaxing afternoon and my house was clean, and he got IXL to practice. He's going straight down the 12th grade english to review.
This is so nice, a complete change. He's taking a bit of responsibility for his actions and trying to influence the outcome in his favor. So much better than his regular pattern of giving up, resisting, and blaming mom for everything that goes wrong in his life.
I'm sensing the winds of change.
