Wednesday

When did life get so crazy? I can almost date it to when I got my first CD-ROM of The Sims...and now the boy has refound it (because he gave up his GameBoy for Lent) and I'm rehooked. Errgh. Like I have time for THAT! ;-)

Talked to a friend last night. They are having huge problems with one of their kids. He has had trouble for as long as we can remember, and it's just gotten worse and worse, even with family counseling and individual counseling. They have him scheduled for psychiatric evaluation in a couple of weeks.

So, you're thinking, he's probably teenaged? Nope, he's 10. One of the most manipulative children I've ever met. He's such a good kid sometimes, and then he just, I don't know, disconnects somehow and can't rein himself in. And like Sparky, he's just starting that pre-hormone stage. They've even had him on a Ritalin-type medication for a couple of years, and while has kept him from spiralling completely off into space; now it's not working either.

It might help if his family situation was calmer (lots of kids in that house!) and he got more individual attention, but as it is he is constantly fighting for attention any way he can get it. Which means usually he gets negative attention; he really doesn't seem to know how to instigate positive attention. Like most situations, it's always easier to criticize than to make the effort to praise.

You'd think he and Sparky would be best friends being only a year apart, but they have never bonded all that well, and Sparky likes everyone, except at school. [ahem] It just seems odd to think that this kid is so messed up at such a young age. And it makes me sad. Sadder than sad. He is a beautiful child.

Would I go back to being a kid? Nope. Having them around sure keeps you honest about your past. Life was easier in a lot of ways, but in a lot of other ways it was still pretty complicated. Like a starving man trying to open a can of soup with a sharp stick while alone in the dark: no tools, or not the right tools, and no one to tell you what you need to do instead of what isn't working.

Whew. On the other hand, it makes my problems look minor. Moment of gratefulness for the Pretty Cool Kid I have....