I don't know what's going on with DS8 lately, but he is driving us absolutely bonkers! It's getting to be a "you say black, I say white" kind of situation, and we are at wit's end.
Typical tidbits of late:
Me: Oh, so you find the library chilly?
He: NOOOO, when it's cold outside it's cold in the library!
Me: How is that different from what I said?
He: ... I don't know.
[followed by five minutes of arguing who said what and how the statements are, in fact, not different at all]
**********
Me: Why are your pajamas not in the dresser?
He: I didn't know if I should fold them.
Me: Daddy said "put the clothes in the drawer," right?
He: Yes, but I didn't know if I should fold these.
Me: Put the clothes in the drawer. How much clearer could it get?
He: But I thought maybe later -
Me: PUT THE CLOTHES IN THE DRAWER! HOW MUCH CLEARER COULD IT GET?!
[pause]
He: I'll put them in the drawer.
Me: [with steam coming out my ears] THANK YOU!!
***************
He: Can I wear this [red rubbery bracelet] today?
Me: No, you can't take it to school.
He: But I could wear it for Red Day.
Me: Today is Red Day, and you are not taking it to school. Go put it downstairs in one of your treasure boxes.
He: But maybe I could keep it right up here so -
Me: MAYBE I CAN THROW IT OUT AND THEN WE'LL HAVE NOTHING TO ARGUE ABOUT!
GAAAH!
I was sobbing last night to DH. I spend all week thinking "oh, I wish we had time to do this," "the boy would love to do that if only we had time," and "too bad that happens during work hours, it would be great to do with the boy." And then we get a long stretch of weekend with plenty of time to do things and I can't stand to be around him for two minutes! So I go away for awhile and decide to try again in half an hour and the first words out of his mouth are more and more argument!
He's really a well-behaved kid, especially given what we observe with the neighbors, his classmates, etc. But we have a really hard time keeping that in mind when his mouth is moving constantly and spewing nothing but backtalk and sass and contradiction.
Not to mention the thousand little broken rules all day long ... I am SO SICK of saying "wash your hands
with soap!"
I don't know what's going on with him, I don't know how to make myself more patient, I don't know how to get back to a more respectful tone (on both sides) in our conversations.
And I don't know how to get him to wash his stinkin' hands.
Sigh. Vent over. Thanks for reading.
