I know this has NEVER happened to any of you! I read your blogs. I see your sweet angels. I hear your cute stories. So, this would never happen at your house, but at my house, it's about to drive me completely and totally batty. (no offense to you bat lovers out there)
The 11 year olds (boy/girl twins, in case you didn't know) are in 6th grade, and they are preparing for 9 week tests. These brother/sister twins are extrememly different, though they both make A's and B's in all subjects. My daughter - she's the meticulous one. Everything has to be "just so." It takes her an hour to complete a 9 question worksheet! I am NOT exaggerating! And math isn't my best or favorite subject, so we usually butt heads (hahaha - butt heads! I am so slap-happy right now) over how to do the math problems. It took her forever to get her math work done. Ten o'clock rolls around and she's finally out of the bath and she wants to study for science and math! I'm thinking, "You gotta be kidding me!" Well, we do, albeit in a hurry. The girl who's so tired and just wants to go to bed early and who has an ear infection - FINALLY got to bed about 10:40. Time limits for homework - nope. Won't work. Time limits for bath - nope. Won't work. This child moves to her own time and it seems like nothing I can do helps her get things done in a decent amount of time.
The brother, well, he's the opposite in that he'll get his work finished if I stay on top of him the whole time, but not if I leave him alone for more than a second. He'll wander off to bother his sister while she's trying to work. He's more apt to have careless answers or incomplete work. When it's done, then he wants to get on the computer, then he wants to make a flip book out of post-it notes, then he wants to watch "George Lopez." It is neverending. I must have told him 95 times to brush his teeth and go to bed tonight!
And the arguing with each other has driven me half silly already. And the talking back is driving me the other half silly.
It's finally quiet and peaceful here, but it was work! Now I have so little ME time. I know that none of you have any idea what I am experiencing because your kids do what you ask them to do when you ask them to do it... right? You can go watch a movie, take a shower, run an errand, and your kids will be right where you left them doing exactly what you told them. Right?
I'm so frustrated because this is a TYPICAL night at my house. If you read this far, thanks!
You are not alone...you are not alone...hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI sure can relate and mine are not twins, and not in school...but yep, we have nights, many nights like that!!!!
Those who pretend not to...well, they are no fun!
I am a grandma who lives in the same house as her grandchildren. Not only do we have all the things you mentioned, these kids love to yell/scream. A couple weeks ago, in desperation, we put up a chart with everyone's name on it (mom, dad, and grandma included). Each time someone yelled, was mean to a sibling, etc. they got a mark on the chart. The person with the fewest marks won a prize. Surprisingly this made a huge difference in our home. We just gotta pick out another prize and get the chart back up before we lose all the ground we gained. =(
ReplyDeleteAre you sure you weren't at MY house with MY kids?
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has ADD and what you described has been my life since day one. We have struggled and are still struggling to get her out of school. I'm not even sure she is going to graduate this year. I know that when she was younger I made her go from the bus to the kitchen table and she did not leave until the homework was done. High school is much harder. Hang in this to shall pass!
ReplyDeleteYou are forgetting that I homeschool my kids. So this is a daily struggle in my house ~ or almost daily struggle. My 11 yr old constantly says 'Do I have to?' "Can I just do this instead of this?" so forth and so on. When if he's just do what is on his assignment card to begin with he'd be done. He spends more time trying to get out of something then it would take to do it the first time!
ReplyDeleteAnd today? My 8 yr old cried, yes CRIED over a pretest in Spelling when she didn't get them all right and found out she's going to have to do the real test tomorrow. And I'm sure the test tomorrow won't be any easier. Whining & so forth.
Yesterday it took them 2-2.5 hours to do 6 pages of schoolwork!!
So yeah, it happens here I just try not to blog about it sometimes LOL!!
Thank you, everyone! I try not to blog about this type of stuff, too, but last night I was so frustrated, and I had to get it out. Tonight was a little better. Thank goodness.
ReplyDeletei am 100% with you on the time thing. Jordan HAS to have a schedule or she is off "chasing butterflies" it drives me nuts!
ReplyDeletewe finally got tired of fighting over the homework think and hired a tutor. let THEM deal with her. it works for us...we are no longer the bad guys and he actually likes dong well for her tutor...i think its the crush she has developed for him.
we haven't had any back talk yet, but the hormones are on the way so i am sure that will come along with those...heaven help that kid the first time she sasses me...lol