It Was a Loud and Angry Day

I don’t know what happened but today was full of some very “strong feelings” as they say at my children’s school.   There was the typical breakfast where someone is unhappy about one thing or another until they start eating at which point things settle down, but after school, whew, it all went to hell.

My son didn’t want to do anything until I offered it to his sister  and then that was the only thing he wanted to do in the whole world.    The main event was my offer to roll the big, uncharted pumpkin down the hill into the back yard.  When he definitively said no I asked his sister, who stopped what she was doing, took off her socks and went out in the warm November afternoon to roll a lopsided pumpkin down a hill of wet grass into the natural area in the back yard. 

This made my son angry.   He wanted to take a turn (he was not given a turn.)   He did several ungracious things and said many unkind things while my daughter happily rolled the pumpkin into the edge of the briers on the right side of the back yard.   I retrieved it and took it to the left side of the back yard and let her roll it one last time down the steep hill.   It gained speed but held firm, rolling over the retaining silt fence from ten years ago into the lowlands and surprisingly enough into the creek almost out of sight through the trees. 

She and I were thrilled.  My son was not.   On the way back to the front door she went around a bush that was at the edge of a tall brick wall.   I hear her screaming and run back, because what if her brother was trying to push her over the edge? (Yes, he was that unhappy we were gaily ignoring his moaning complaints.)   I rounded on the bush to hear her cry, “he peed on me!”   And he had.   It was clear from the color and location on the front of her shirt that was exactly what he had done. 

My son got marched into the house, stripped of clothing and sent to his bedroom where he was told he wasn’t allowed out until he was called down for dinner.   He was irate.   I was more-so.   There is more, but know that his mood didn’t improve, even behind a shut door.  

His sister had her own moments, bursting out with screams of anger for seemingly slight things.   I’m not sure what’s happening with the two of them, but my husband and I have also been on edge too.   So be forewarned, if our entire family comes down with some fall sickness in a day or so, it was already brewing, based on our moods today. 

The Big Boy Update:  My son did not get to go to Tae Kwon Do tonight as punishment for peeing on his sister.   He was very unhappy about this.    Controlling your anger is tough, believe me, I know from experience. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter got her white belt (the first belt) at Tae Kwon Do tonight.   If she could see well, she would easily have qualified for it.  I think they pushed it a bit because she can’t function well in the class when she can’t see the instructor’s moves at the front.   I’ve stood with her for over half of the last two classes so she can watch what I’m doing up close and mimic my moves.   She really wants to do the moves, but her frustration shows in anxiety, shyness and whining when it’s hard to see.   Hopefully we’ll be able to determine after the trial month is up if she’ll be able to continue or if we want to wait a few months to for her vision to improve.