Marathon Parenting and Holiday Hell

Since school got out it has been marathon parenting for me around here. Sadie wanted to have several arguments with me regarding her loss of privileges over her grades and in school suspension. Then I had a conversation with Salinda that did not go so well. She is probably going to have to stay where she is for a few weeks longer than she thought. I talked to her Probation Officer who is not sympathetic at all about her plight. She was warned so many times and now she has to suffer the consequences of her actions. She is trying hard to manipulate the system and it isn't working for her. The conversation ended with her telling me she wasn't going to do something I suggested she should, and it is apparent that nobody has cured her rebellious streak. Not that I expected it to be cured, but she is slipping back into old habits. She is caught in a corner and she never likes that position.

Then Jimmy came home defiant and crabby. He was expecting Bart to go to his conferences, and when he found out that I was going to be the one taking him, he was not happy. He was quite rude to me and then had to go to the conferences with me anyway. When we got there I got to hear about how he wasn't turning things in, how he was failing a couple subjects, how he has annoying and irritating habits that are deliberately bothering others. He has had assignments to turn in that he has ignored, tests he could have made up but didn't, and homework that he hash refused to do and lied about.

When we got home for supper, we were sitting together in the living room, quietly talking about conferences. Several of the children were sitting nicely until Tony came in and he and Dominyk began to squabble over the couch, resulting in a complete meltdown on Dominyk's part, complete with him calling me an a**wipe several times. I think he used an adjective that started with an F as well.

Supper involved typical bickering, but at the completion of supper, Dominyk determined that he was going to have $2.00. Since he does not have two dollars, that took 20 minutes of him screaming and crying for me to say no and mean it. We finally ended that experience with him sobbing in my arms until we did deep breathing together, which by this point I needed just as much as he did.

As soon as Bart left for the YMCA with the, let's see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 kids that wanted to go, Jimmy started arguing with me about homework. It resulted in a major fit where he was throwing things at me, threatening me and trashing a room. I was debating calling the cops or Bart, but finally handled it myself. The boy is wrong if he thinks he can take me. Who cares if he is almost 6' tall (and no, I did not abuse him, but I did restrain him long enough for him to turn his defiant anger into endless screaming sobs, which, on an almost 16 year old is not pretty. He is still sobbing.

And now Mike is in here attempting to get me to give him a ride somewhere after Bart has already told him no. Desperate for sure, because I NEVER do anything that Bart says no to. In fact, 3 weeks after MIke and Kyle moved in almost 10 years ago, Kyle said to MIke, "DUH, MIke, haven't you figured out that you always ask Dad first?" Well, to think I'm going to say yes after Bart already said no is even more ridiculous than asking me first.

My head has been pounding all day long. Tomorrow everyone is supposed to be here together and the thought of that with all this stress, makes me cringe. I'm sure it will be fine, but we're certainly not starting Thanksgiving vacation on a great foot.

Transitions are tough. Days off of school are tough. Changing the number of people living here is tough. Ugh.