One of the most prevailing traits we find in our family is stubbornness. Or to be less polite – sheer bloody mindedness. None of us like to back down and NONE of us like to be wrong.
Add in the slightly ‘obsessive’ quality some of us have and things can get a bit hairy around here.
My mom and I joke about our ‘bees in our our bonnets,’ when we are like this. The furniture moving while I was really sick with a summer cold/flu thing is a good example. I had stared at my messy house long enough and it was bothering me. I HAD to change it right then.
Mom understood. It tends to annoy the shit out of hubs but he is almost as bad.
Adam can be like a dog with a bone or a hapless sheep and worry “it” to death. It can be his sister or something that he reeeeeeeeeeeeellly wants or reeeeeeeeeelly likes.
Both are annoying.
The really likes are tend to just make your brain melt. Right now he is really into Pokemon. This could change since he is being neglected by friends who are only playing UGEO (you tell me if I spelled it right). However, he has invested a LOT into liking Pokemon. He has all the video games on his DS and Wii. He has the playing cards and action figures. He has the books all about Pokemon and religiously watches the atrocious cartoons every single day.
Do not get him started in telling you about Pokemon. The one sided discussion will go on forever. I was once trapped in the car while he warbled on about EVERY single Pokemon he thought I might like.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am happy there is something he is keen about and believe it or not I do actually engage him in discussions about Pokemon on purpose because I know he is excited by it. I make an effort to sound excited about the games and so on. But he does go on. And on. And on.
Adam can have trouble reading social cues. He may or may not see your eyes glaze over. And someday’s he can have a really hard time switching gears or letting a topic trail off at an appropriate time.
I do worry that this does affect his ability to maintain friendships. He is a likable kid, but I think his blinkers on mode can really piss off other kids.
He has been a bit sad that the two brothers who he swam with almost every day last summer have hardly said two words to him this year. We haven’t figured out what happened. They have been playing with these other two brothers who are – in my opinion – total douchebags and Adam won’t go near them. The other parents do seem to be more okay with rough house play than we are and so they don’t seem to see anything wrong with smashing people around.
I do. And so does Adam.
Adam was never diagnosed with any ‘issues’ though his preschool teachers were convinced he was ADHD. We did have him assessed and was told what we knew..that he was a bright boy with a LOT of energy.
He is a bright boy, but not much of a trier and is very prone to giving up or flying into a rage over the ‘IMPOSSIBILITY’ of something. Or he will blame others for the issues at hand too.
All this makes for some interesting ‘conversations’ around here. EVERYTHING is an argument. With ALL of them. This can be exhausting.
Hence why SUMMER is a trying time around the House of Crunch. This summer they both refused to attend the day camps. Granted they have had unpleasant experiences at them due to some of the kids there that they already had issues with.
But this has made for LOOOOONG days with me working to fill up their time, blow off energy and stop them killing each other. Tough when everyother kid in the area IS in daycamp or daycare.
It does ALSO make for lively discussions. My kids ARE bright. Adam is quick thinking and witty. He can think on his feet….especially when defending his point.
His new campaign is for a lizard. We are not buying him a lizard. He has to earn it. To do so he not only has to earn the money, he has to earn our trust. He has to show us that he is fully committed to this. I have told him he needs to show us how well he has researched the costs, health, needs etc of the lizard of his choice. He also has to prove that this won’t be a one hit wonder that gets boring after the first day when he realizes that the lizard prefers lurking in the dark and not talking to him. That it is not a toy is key.
This has spiraled into Caity campaigning that if HE gets a pet, SHE gets a pet. SHE wants either a hamster, gerbil, guinea pig or gold fish. This is not happening in the near future either. This house is crazy enough with three cats and a dog. We cannot FIT more animals here, but I want this to be a long learning process for both of them about responsibility.
So instead, due to their slightly obsessive natures, we now listen to them talk and talk and talk about their pets and where they are keeping them and so on. It hurts.
I just have to get through August!
Eva | Little Cool Toys says
Wow, can I relate to this post! My son (soon 5) sounds A LOT like Adam – bright kid with so much energy, that some might suggest he’s hyper active. Some days I’m just SO tired keeping up with him! and boy do I know the exhausting arguments and crisis …
Thanks for sharing! and so cool to meet you 😉
Hope you’ll have a smooth, fun and GREAT August!