4/9/08

Happy Wednesday!

For some reason, I've been having a hard time focusing on things for the past few days. I feel antsy.

Am I the only person with a totally filthy computer? I was just looking at my laptop and realized that there is probably enough stuff (food? grime?) on the screen and keys to sustain me for at least a week if I got lost in the wilderness with it.

LittleBrother(11)'s attitude has been in the toilet for the past few weeks and Sweety had a talk with him about it this weekend. LB said that he is put out by the volume of children that are at his mother's house when he is there and the fact that he feels like BigBrother(13) gets away with things over there. Sweety told him that if he was angry about something that happened at his mother's house that he needed to leave that shit on our doorstep when he got to ours. That we were all tired of dealing with (and listening to) the crappy attitude that he was dishing out to everyone at our house. It seems that the talk has worked so far. There has been much less whining and tattling this past week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will not be short lived. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to extreme measures. I don't know what those will be (i have a feeling that ripping t.v.'s off of walls would be involved) but I've warned the boys that if I have to do something to bring peace to the house that they will not like it.

This post cracks me up. I love reading about Amy's kiddo, Maggie. She sounds like such an interesting little child. I think she should ship her to me for a few weeks. I could teach her some things and send her back, even more wicked older and wiser.

17 comments:

Pusher Robot said...

Thanks for pointing out Amy's blog ... i loved that post as well ... i like them short, sweet and funny ... erm ... POSTS that is ... okay gonna quit while i'm ahead!

Cissy Strutt said...

Perhaps LB just wants to be heard. Maybe when they arrive, he gets five minutes (timed) to spill out all his hard-done-by feelings, with no interruptions and, more importantly, no comments from anyone during or after his rant. Then it's done with.

Chickie said...

Pusher Robot - I bet I've read that post a dozen times and laughed every time.

Yes, it is sometimes to quit while you're ahead!

Cissy Strutt - Through the week, LB will blurt out things that happened over there when he gets mad over here. The idea for a vent session is a good one! Thank you!

SagaciousHillbilly said...

My keyboard was the most filthy thing in the house. . . full of food bits, cat hairs, and grime all over the keys. I cleaned it recently. It's still the most filthy thing in the house. It doesn't work very well either.

Anonymous said...

She's on a plane now. And, if she doesn't hijack it and make them land in Vegas... you should probably head to the airport.

Monogram Queen said...

LB should be glad for the sanctuary that your house offers and act accordingly. Ungrateful brat *grin*

Oh boy i'd hate to see her and Madison together.

Mike said...

I have to regularly vacuum and wipe down my computer to keep it from sprouting bacteria. It gets nasty as hell sometimes.

Pink said...

LOL - to expect a kid to be grateful shows a complete lack of understanding of what a child is! They aren't adults - their brains aren't even fully formed.

I haven't been in your shoes, so I don't know how difficult it must be to be a step. But, I have been in LB's shoes.

He has no power over what has happened to his family and all this frustration can't be good for him. I'd go further than Cissy's suggestion. I don't know if 5 minutes is enough.

Maybe a rant for 5 minutes. But kids need more than to be heard. They need help. They need practical steps to help them to cope with the situation and a base to come to for support and checking in. Acting out and having a shit attitude is not the problem, its just the symptom of the problem of not knowing what to do.

I'd bet money that he's not a bad kid but that he just needs help to cope.

Thats my humble 2 cents.

xx
pinks

Chickie said...

SagaciousHillbilly I tried to clean mine but now it looks even more grimy. I may need to hit it with an air hose.

The Phosgene Kid - I will if I have to! I hope I don't have to though because I'm so lazy.

Amy - Wonderful! I'll skip work tomorrow and we'll go to the beach. She can fetch my beer.

Patti - I'd think that he'd be happy that things were different over here. He has thanked me for some things that happen here that don't happen over there. I think he's really starting to see how his mother is.

I'll be me and her and Maddie could have a ball!

Mike - I'm afraid my keyboard is too far gone. It needs a maid.

Pink - But kids need more than to be heard. They need help. They need practical steps to help them to cope with the situation and a base to come to for support and checking in. Acting out and having a shit attitude is not the problem, its just the symptom of the problem of not knowing what to do. So very true. One of his main gripes is that BigBrother picks at him constantly over there and doesn't get in trouble for it because his mom is too busy to deal with it. This was brought to her attention by Sweety not too long ago and her response was "I'm doing the best I can and he needs to toughen up". So we have been drilling into BB the importance of not making his brother crazy and LB is getting better about speaking up when something is bothering him instead of trying to beat BB once they get to our house.

He is a great kid. Just got a lot going on.

We will get it all ironed out. This is new to us too.

Thanks for your 2 cents! :)

themom said...

That post WAS hilarious. Thegrandson runs around the house screaming,"he hit me in the PIRATES!" Kids are so inspirational.
I agree, your home appears to be LB's safe haven - he needs to appreciate it as such and in years to come will know that "safe haven" is always there for him.

Anonymous said...

That's not a bad plan. Only the last time someone tried to card her - she punched him in the crotch.

In her defense... she is short. But, she also has a good aim.

The Phosgene Kid said...

Happy weekend!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Chickie dear..I kind of agree with Pink...These boys both need a time when they can let put how they feel about what happens over there and if they get that Half Hour or whatever it takes...I don't think either will continue to act out their frustration on you all and BB on LB while they are at their stupid unfeeling mother's house....! (She seems completely out of touch with these two boys and what THEY need....!!)

Chickie said...

themom - When my niece lived with me for a bit, she got hit between the legs and dropped to the ground screaming "you hit my penis!". She'd heard the boys say it and thought she had one there too.

LB has said "thank you" for little things that happen here that don't go on over there. Or for things that don't happen here that happen there. I think he really sees the differences between houses.

Amy - I'll tell people she's an angry midget.

The Phosgene Kid - Thanks!

Lady of the Hills - We've always went out of our way to not ask questions about what they do at her house and whatnot because we're afraid it looks like we're being nosy. And I must admit, that I am guilty of changing the conversation if they bring up anything pertaining to their mother's house because I'm afraid it will sound like I'm pumping them for info or something if she hears about it. I've stopped doing that. If they want to talk about whatever, if it was something over there or not, I talk and ask them questions about it like any other conversation.

She doesn't see farther than the tip of her own nose.

The Phosgene Kid said...

Hope you had a good (and quiet) weekend with no wounded seals!!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Hey Chickie..I hope all is well with you, my dear...It's been a while since you updated your blog---And I'm hoping it's because you are very busy doing wonderful fun things!

Rich | Championable said...

I use a laptop most of the time, so I've got a bacterial version of all of Manhattan buried in my keyboard. Nice.