The Boy and I
Are getting re-acquainted while he stays with me for the next month or so. It's only been 5 days since his Mother dropped him off and he's already asking to go home. I suppose he's not liking the limited entertainment at my shack. I don't blame him though...there's really not a whole lot for a 13yr old boy to do unless he wants to gorge himself on World of Warcraft. I would've thought he could hang in there for another few days at least, but I over-estimated his need to be with his Mom.
And then he said he missed his cats. Reasonable plea, I suppose, but I'm hoping he can hold out.
He's been great about keeping himself clean since hygene has been an issue in the past. Every night I get home, he tells me he brushed his teeth, took a shower and shampoo'd his hair. He seems to be getting used to it and I haven't had to tell him 'you stink' in quite a while. Good progress, but I'm mostly concerned with what's going to happen when he goes back to living with his mother. It's not that she doesn't take care of it, it's just that she doesn't maintain her authority over him. He doesn't respect her or his grandmother and that's just not right. He does what I tell him without questioning it (too much), but his mother and grandmother just give up a little too easy for my taste.
I have held my tongue about it for a long time, but I'm starting to believe that they're seeing that they need to be the authority, not just act like they want it. I don't really know how to describe it, but I know that I'm the parent as does the boy. He may not like it, but he knows it just as I did when I was a kid.
Living with him again has been a good experience; one which I had forgotten how much I was missing. I know that where I live will not be acceptable enough for me soon and that I need to get my own place. When that happens, I want the boy to live with me so I can help him be successful in life. It's not that I don't trust his mother, I would just prefer to have a more direct influence over him.
The prospect of having my own place has me day-dreaming right now. I look forward to the tedious things like preparing my own meals, doing dishes, laundry, cleaning up before I have guests come over to visit.
/sigh Some day soon....
Are getting re-acquainted while he stays with me for the next month or so. It's only been 5 days since his Mother dropped him off and he's already asking to go home. I suppose he's not liking the limited entertainment at my shack. I don't blame him though...there's really not a whole lot for a 13yr old boy to do unless he wants to gorge himself on World of Warcraft. I would've thought he could hang in there for another few days at least, but I over-estimated his need to be with his Mom.
And then he said he missed his cats. Reasonable plea, I suppose, but I'm hoping he can hold out.
He's been great about keeping himself clean since hygene has been an issue in the past. Every night I get home, he tells me he brushed his teeth, took a shower and shampoo'd his hair. He seems to be getting used to it and I haven't had to tell him 'you stink' in quite a while. Good progress, but I'm mostly concerned with what's going to happen when he goes back to living with his mother. It's not that she doesn't take care of it, it's just that she doesn't maintain her authority over him. He doesn't respect her or his grandmother and that's just not right. He does what I tell him without questioning it (too much), but his mother and grandmother just give up a little too easy for my taste.
I have held my tongue about it for a long time, but I'm starting to believe that they're seeing that they need to be the authority, not just act like they want it. I don't really know how to describe it, but I know that I'm the parent as does the boy. He may not like it, but he knows it just as I did when I was a kid.
Living with him again has been a good experience; one which I had forgotten how much I was missing. I know that where I live will not be acceptable enough for me soon and that I need to get my own place. When that happens, I want the boy to live with me so I can help him be successful in life. It's not that I don't trust his mother, I would just prefer to have a more direct influence over him.
The prospect of having my own place has me day-dreaming right now. I look forward to the tedious things like preparing my own meals, doing dishes, laundry, cleaning up before I have guests come over to visit.
/sigh Some day soon....
posted by Tobiwan | 12:19 PM
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