Whew! Thank God today is over. I wasn't able to talk to Scotty until after he got home from work. I told him that I didn't want him to be unhappy here. I told him that I wanted him to be able to save money for his own place so Colleen would move down here. I told him that I loved him but I needed a little help & consideration around the house. I made sure that he understood it wasn't financial help that I wanted. I just wanted him to understand that if I was paying for the gas in the truck then he needed to take it easy on his "tour" of the city game shops because I didn't have that much money. He understood. I told him that I would rather he talk to me about concerns that he has around the house and with the finances. He said that it was really hard to do because he was never able to do that at his Dad's house but that he would try. I told him that it was important for him to learn to do that for two reasons. First, to eliminate my stress over him not feeling welcome in my home. Second, because he needs to be able to communicate on that level if he ever plans on living with Colleen and have it go well. He said that he understands and he will try to talk to me more about things that go on in the house.
Shanta came over for our weekly family therapy. It is so helpful to have an outside person looking in on the relationship between Matthew & I. Raising a 14 year old on your own is no picnic especially when he has ADHD and his mother's stubbornness! She has managed to dial in on a serious rift in our relationship. She sees that I have a serious issue with the fact that he plays video games all the time and gets attitude when I ask him to do his chores because it interrupts him. She also sees that Matthew, being ADHD, tends to play the video games all of the time because it's something he can focus on, something he's good at and the only thing that he wins at in the house. I use the phrase "Because I'm the Mom and I said so" because my house is not a democracy. Matthew hates that because basically, that wins every argument that he has about everything. I have to say that 99.99% of the time, I will admit when I'm wrong and apologize. Matthew on the other hand, cannot stand that he is wrong about anything and will stand there and argue with me until he turns blue and passes out or I get pissed enough to ground him from something.
Shanta said that she really thinks that he needs to take a vacation from the games and get into something else. She gave him a homework assignment that he has to get done before she comes back next Wednesday. He's supposed to make a list of things that he can do besides video games. Like a list of things he would like to do. Like learning sign language so he can speak to his cousins or learning how to draw free-hand or learning to build things. I really hope that he comes up with some creative stuff. I know that Matthew & I fight a lot but he really is a great kid and he's very smart. I just don't see the point of him wasting all of his mental energy on those stupid games! ARGGGHH!
Anyway, another day down. Time to hit the sack and rest before I have to deal with Mom tomorrow.
You are: ATHENAIS (c400-460) also known as Eudocia. The beautiful daugher of a brilliant Greek philosopher, she exemplified the Classical ideals. She spent her days writing poetry (which is read to this day) and trying to avoid the machinations of her stepmother Pulcheria.
