I have NEVER been so happy for the weekend as I was this Friday.
My preschooler, Lucas, is riding the struggle bus big time at school and it is really wearing me down.
He has never been to daycare or any formal childcare (except for one time I sent him to the gym daycare, only to have him escape and wind up alone in the parking lot - not even kidding) so I fully expected this to be a rocky transition.
I was not prepared for how much it would bother me though. My older kids have never really had behavior problems. In fact, I can't even remember a time when they got in trouble at school. They have always been the easy kids.
Lucas is energetic, strong willed, mischievous and craves 24/7 attention. Sometimes these qualities are endearing and they definitely make him, him. But when he is being defiant and not listening to adults in charge it's not so cute.
Everyday when I pick him up, the teacher frowns and tells me she needs to talk to me for a second. My heart sinks as I listen to her rundown his misbehavior of the day.
To his teachers credit, she also points out the things that he does well. But I can't help but notice how I am the only mom she talks to everyday.
He has never done anything mean or hurt another kid and I know that it's probably much worse in my head then it really is, but of course it still bothers me.
My oldest kids were just well behaved all on their own. People used to comment what a great job we were doing raising them, but now I see that we just got lucky and I really have no earthly idea what in the heck I am doing.
I am open for any and all suggestions. We are having some success with just completely ignoring him when he is acting out, rewarding good behavior, as well as timeouts when that doesn't work - but it's not transitioning to school at all.
So if you have experienced anything similar, please let me know what worked for you cause we need all the help we can get over here!
This weeks menu
Lunches this week will be Bun less burgers and Unwiches, and Breakfasts will be Keto McGriddles
Here are links to all the recipes that I am using this week:
- Chicken, Broccoli, and "Rice" Casserole
- Taco Seasoning
- Cheese Taco Shells
- Meatballs
- Keto Marinara Sauce
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Soup
- Fathead Pizza
- Chicken Pesto Lasagna (recipe will be posted this Tuesday, so if the link doesn't work, check back!)
txgrandma says
I love all your great menus and recipes. Thanks for faithfully putting them out regularly! I have been Keto for nearly 3 years and am always looking for new ideas. My husband is not Keto but lower carb than he used to be. He is happy to eat all of the delicious recipes I am able to find online and doesn't care if they are low carb or not. I enjoy being able to feed him in a healthy manner with help from blogs like yours!
I don't have any great advice with your situation except be patient with your little guy. I do have lots of perspective as I had a similar situation with both my (now adult) son and 15 year old granddaughter. Both of them were very challenging during their early childhood years. It was a nightmare at the time but fast forward and I can see that it was part of the process for both of them. Both of them are brilliant (as I suspect your son is) and at that young age, they couldn't be who they were meant to be and so they acted out. Many times with my granddaughter, I had to drop everything and head off to school to pick her up because of poor behavior. (Our daughter worked at the time and couldn't go.) There were lots of phone calls from school with our son, which went on into his early elementary years until one day they finally stopped. His temper tantrums didn't stop until he was nearly 10 years old.
Fast forward, our son is now 28 and has 2 engineering degrees and one of the most delightful people in my life. He is living his dream life designing helicopters and owns his own race car. He needs to be active and as an adult has found ways to channel his energy to lead a fulfilling life.
Partly because of her early difficulties in school. our daughter decided to home school our oldest granddaughter . The early years were not easy with that but with time, it has proven to be the best choice. Our granddaughter is now 15 and is finding her niche in the world. She plans to be a veterinarian and is well on the way to achieving that goal.. She is happy and has lots of friends through various activities. She is a huge help to her parents with her 4 younger siblings and a true delight to be around as a teenager.
So, be patient because it won't last forever although it seems like it at the time. He will outgrow it and become the delightful person he was meant to be!
Sabra says
Thank you so much for this kind comment! It is very encouraging and you are so right! I think all the time about how the qualities that he has that make him difficult as a child, will lead for him to be successful as an adult. Things like persistence, independence, and determination. I can tell you are very proud of your son and granddaughter and for good reason! They are lucky to have you in their corner xo