Antics of the Oldest

It has been a long month for Heathen #1. Not only did he spend much of it walled up in the house due to the weather, but he's managed to cause one issue after another. Here's the timeline.

Beginning of March:
I get an email from one of the teachers at the elementary school. Heathen #1 was involved in a cafeteria fight. The extent of the damage was a bruise one of the boys received. Result: looses the privilege of going on the first spring field trip. This has been completely ineffective - it is now mid-April, and there has not even been a field trip announced, much less taken. At home, his television was removed from his bedroom, among other things.

Beginning of April:
I get an email from one of the teachers at the elementary school. Heathen #1 was sent to the Principal's office for making comments about one of the lunch aides. It turns out that she wouldn't let him sit by one of his friends and sent him to another table. At the new table, he sat and muttered about the aide. One of the little girls at the table turned him in and he ended up with a half day of in-school suspension. What child that age doesn't mutter when they lose an argument with an adult? At home, he was forbidden television or Wii until further notice.

Friday, April 11:
Heathen #1 calls me at work. He managed to burn his arm and his stomach and he was in tears because it hurt. I told him to strip and get in the tub with cold water and I headed straight home. I found him shivering in the tub ten minutes later with a second-degree burn on his forearm. Needless to say, we made an immediate trip to the ER. He knew he wasn't supposed to watch television, so instead he broke a different rule and used the stove to boil water in my teakettle. I still don't understand what he was going to do with the water. But he spilled it when the plastic cup he was pouring it into got hot and he dropped it. He's got a burn on his forearm that is as big as my palm, and another that is three inches long and about an inch wide on his stomach where the water splashed him. I can now say that I know burn care.

Wednesday, April 16:
I got another email from the teacher at the elementary school. Tristan got into another fight. This time with his best friend. David cut in front of him in line, so Tristan kicked him. David retaliated by calling him a "bitch." They lost two recesses each. At this point, I had to restrain myself from wanting to choke him. At home, he lost the weekend motorcycle ride the Asst. Zookeeper was planning with friends.

I'm to the point where I just can't wait for the school year to end. I'm sure the kids feel the same. I'm burned out with the morning routine and the rushing to get on the bus. I'm tired of making sure people have homework done, and I don't ever want to look for another backpack. I'm so ready for the summer routine of just getting myself ready and not worrying if the kids are late getting to bed.

Pray for sunshine this afternoon and evening - I need to be out of the house. And so do the Heathens.