Another rough week comes to a close. Big Brother has been extremely dysregulated and edgy. Things that have been going smoothly just a month before – chores, school work and dealings with siblings – all of a sudden have him melting down at an alarming rate.
We are also at a standstill with his behavior plan. Initially he was earning money for good behavior. This went well for a while because he was extremely motivated to buy a new cell phone. Unfortunately, once one was purchased and received, this motivation magically disappeared.
So, we decided to link problematic behavior such as yelling and aggression to his most preferred activities. That means he would earn time for his favorite pastime of going to the pond and hanging out with his friends through properly handling his frustrations.
To say this is not going over well would be an understatement of epic proportions. Often our attempts to gain buy-in are met with yells, screams and repeated use of the following statement:
“I want to do what I want, when I want to.”
Don’t we all, bud.
This declaration has given us a glimpse into many other hidden issues that need attention. Feelings of entitlement, theory of mind deficits, performance anxiety are just a few that come immediately to mind. We’ll just add these to our massive therapy to-do list, I guess.
But enough of the doom and gloom. I have some positive news for a change.
The last couple of days have been downright refreshing. Yes, those words actually came from me.
That’s because on Friday I had my first sleep over in many, many moons -- thanks to my angel of a friend. Her family was going out of town and she graciously offered me hotel-like accommodations at her home for the weekend. Good food and good company do wonders for a sagging spirit, let me tell you. I came home utterly relaxed and surprisingly energized.
So much so I managed to tackle some long overdue projects around the house. It felt great to finally accomplish something.
But wait, there’s more.
Outfitted with my new attitude, I saw something not seen around these parts in a while.
A tiny ray of hope.
As we chatted through one day and into the next, I began to see that there might actually be a light at the end of the tunnel. Extremely dim, perhaps, but there all the same. It was positively glorious.
It’s amazing what a couple of days without kids and stress will do for the soul. Hmmm... Note to self: Must. Do. More. Often.
Another rough week comes to a close. Big Brother has been extremely dysregulated and edgy. Things that have been going smoothly just a month before – chores, school work and dealings with siblings – all of a sudden have him melting down at an alarming rate.We are also at a standstill with his behavior plan. Initially he was earning money for good behavior. This went well for a while because he was extremely motivated to buy a new cell phone. Unfortunately, once one was purchased and received, this motivation magically disappeared.So, we decided to link problematic behavior such as yelling and aggression to his most preferred activities. That means he would earn time for his favorite pastime of going to the pond and hanging out with his friends through properly handling his frustrations.To say this is not going over well would be an understatement of epic proportions. Often our attempts to gain buy-in are met with yells, screams and repeated use of the following statement:
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