Friday
Aug312007
TGIF - Ripped Pants
Friday, August 31, 2007 at 12:54PM
I don't know how the whole day goes by so quickly, I really don't.
6:15ish - Rise & Shine to get the kids up & dressed, breakfast, pack lunches
7:00 a.m. - Younger two get on the bus to the elementary school
8:00 a.m. - This morning, 12yo son, Zach, and I had to go over to the elementary school on the way to middle school drop-off, with a new pair of shorts for Tiger, the 7yo ADHD Phenom. He had already ripped the seat out of his shorts at school. It started at the bus stop, I think, just as the bus was pulling up.
Mental note: I should have just dropped the shorts (so to speak) and left while he went in the nurse's office to change. It turned into a nightmarish scene when he came out and I was walking him toward his classroom: He decided he wanted to go home with me...
How is it that I don't know how these things will go, after thirteen years of being The Mom? (Granted, only seven with this one, and he is unique, in his own, wonderful, high-energy way.)
Requisite scene in the hallway, with me trying to stay calm and reasonable, Tiger increasing in volume and crying. The teacher quickly abandoned us to go back in the room. I tried to be firm, say good-bye, push him gently toward the door to his classroom and walk off down the hallway, but he just came running after me, getting louder and louder. I clearly was not going to be able to peel the very-determined child off by myself, and the 12yo, standing nearby, was of no help whatsoever. He was just getting embarrassed.
I was hauling Tiger into the school office, which is, coincidentally enough, directly across the hallway from his 2nd grade class, when the school counselor came and took over, very nicely, and said, "Don't worry, just go." Tiger was in tears, I was on the edge. Zach and I high-tailed it out to get him to the middle school, Tiger's screams echoing in the hallway behind us. This is a very rough start to the day, for everybody. I felt like The Worst Mom in the Whole World.
This is life with ADHD; fortunately, a fairly rare total meltdown, but awesome in its emotional intensity when it does happen.
And God Bless the 12yo (non-ADHD), when he got out of the car at his school, he said, "Don't worry, Mom. You're doing a great job." (Yes, he really meant it, very sincere.) That's HUGE love from a 7th grader, you know?
So, yes, where was I?
8:45 am - Dropped Zach off at the middle school
9 - Noon - Emotionally broken and bleeding, I limped off on errands & run-around involving dry cleaning, groceries, Target, etc., because fortunately it's payday (yay!), and I can finally afford to stock up again on food and toilet paper and stuff!
1:00 pm - I get home, check in on email, very quickly realize I'm not going to have time to do my Yoga or Pilates DVD workout (those have been very helpful with the stress of the last two weeks), so I sit down to the computer...
And, here it is, almost 2:30 pm, at which time I need to be out the door to walk Mocha (the dog) before putting her in the car to get over to carpool and pick-ups this afternoon, to be at the elementary school at 3:00, to go play at the park for an hour until the middle schooler comes out at 4:00...
TGIF -- I think we're having Chinese take-out for dinner tonight!
6:15ish - Rise & Shine to get the kids up & dressed, breakfast, pack lunches
7:00 a.m. - Younger two get on the bus to the elementary school
8:00 a.m. - This morning, 12yo son, Zach, and I had to go over to the elementary school on the way to middle school drop-off, with a new pair of shorts for Tiger, the 7yo ADHD Phenom. He had already ripped the seat out of his shorts at school. It started at the bus stop, I think, just as the bus was pulling up.
Mental note: I should have just dropped the shorts (so to speak) and left while he went in the nurse's office to change. It turned into a nightmarish scene when he came out and I was walking him toward his classroom: He decided he wanted to go home with me...
How is it that I don't know how these things will go, after thirteen years of being The Mom? (Granted, only seven with this one, and he is unique, in his own, wonderful, high-energy way.)
Requisite scene in the hallway, with me trying to stay calm and reasonable, Tiger increasing in volume and crying. The teacher quickly abandoned us to go back in the room. I tried to be firm, say good-bye, push him gently toward the door to his classroom and walk off down the hallway, but he just came running after me, getting louder and louder. I clearly was not going to be able to peel the very-determined child off by myself, and the 12yo, standing nearby, was of no help whatsoever. He was just getting embarrassed.
I was hauling Tiger into the school office, which is, coincidentally enough, directly across the hallway from his 2nd grade class, when the school counselor came and took over, very nicely, and said, "Don't worry, just go." Tiger was in tears, I was on the edge. Zach and I high-tailed it out to get him to the middle school, Tiger's screams echoing in the hallway behind us. This is a very rough start to the day, for everybody. I felt like The Worst Mom in the Whole World.
This is life with ADHD; fortunately, a fairly rare total meltdown, but awesome in its emotional intensity when it does happen.
And God Bless the 12yo (non-ADHD), when he got out of the car at his school, he said, "Don't worry, Mom. You're doing a great job." (Yes, he really meant it, very sincere.) That's HUGE love from a 7th grader, you know?
So, yes, where was I?
8:45 am - Dropped Zach off at the middle school
9 - Noon - Emotionally broken and bleeding, I limped off on errands & run-around involving dry cleaning, groceries, Target, etc., because fortunately it's payday (yay!), and I can finally afford to stock up again on food and toilet paper and stuff!
1:00 pm - I get home, check in on email, very quickly realize I'm not going to have time to do my Yoga or Pilates DVD workout (those have been very helpful with the stress of the last two weeks), so I sit down to the computer...
And, here it is, almost 2:30 pm, at which time I need to be out the door to walk Mocha (the dog) before putting her in the car to get over to carpool and pick-ups this afternoon, to be at the elementary school at 3:00, to go play at the park for an hour until the middle schooler comes out at 4:00...
TGIF -- I think we're having Chinese take-out for dinner tonight!
in ADHD, Kids, Life at 40, Parenting
ADHD, Kids, Life at 40, Parenting
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