My son's internal Christmas clock is out of synch.

[Wall-E1]

My little girl's teacher sent emails yesterday...

Here is part of it:
"Finally, our talking is way, way off the charts. This week was almost unbearable."

Along with the fact that 7 or 8 of them aren't completing their homework. So I ask my husband, "Did you read her homework sheet?"

"Um, no, she read it to me and gave me the pages she was supposed to do."

I say, "Yes, on that homework sheet for the week there is a writing assignment. Did you do the writing assignment?"

"Um, no. I didn't know about the writing assignment."

I say, "Didn't I tell you the last time that you keep missing assignments and that you have to read the whole sheet?"

"Um, I guess."


Maybe I should be posting in the "Do you treat your husband like a child" thread and answer, "YES, b/c he deserves it."

I don't know why I don't check behind both of them or just take over the whole thing. You know that teacher is thinking it's me who is not making sure she's doing her homework the right way.

Could you ground your husband, or would that send a confusing message to your daughter? And even if it did send a confusing message to your daughter, would that be such a bad thing? Sometimes our only weapon is to cause confusion.

 

[ogreenlee]

Grounding my husband? You mean make him stay at home? Is this supposed to be a punishment or reward??

Restricting him wouldn't work either, as he'd be happy to sleep.

Maybe I could take away his Ipod. He'd cry for a minute... until he fell asleep.

 

[Wall-E1]

Grounding my husband? You mean make him stay at home? Is this supposed to be a punishment or reward??

Restricting him wouldn't work either, as he'd be happy to sleep.

Maybe I could take away his Ipod. He'd cry for a minute... until he fell asleep.

Yes, that is a tough one.

Even spanking would be a reward for him... at least judging by the photos he posts on his Facebook page.

 

[minkydog]

A friend of mine is dealing with a similar situation with her son, who has issues which get much worse during this time of year. The current thinking is that he's dealing with a form of seasonal affective disorder.

Don't know if this is the case with your kid, or if he just gets lazy, but I thought I'd mention it.

You beat me to it. My first thought was cyclical depression or SAD. I have a long, long history of depression. Late fall is the most difficult time for me and therefore, the most likely time for me to suffer depression. When I was in high school and college I did this *exact* thing and it drove my mother crazy that after weeks of no interest in my classes I could always somehow pull an A or a B out of my hat. Sometime in January just as the days start to lengthen I usually perk up.

Seasonal affective disorder strikes a lot of people in the fall & winter, especially those who live up north where the days are shorter and greyer. My sister lives in Western Washington and they barely ever see the sun from October to April. Sometimes it gets so bad for her that she flies back to my mother's house in Mobile, AL, just to get some sun and warmth for several weeks so she can make it through the rest of the winter in WA.

OP, you have my sympathy. It's maddening when one of your kids is doing this stuff, but before I"d get mad at him I think I'd explore whether there is an organic reason for this. the fact that you say this happens every year is kind of a tip-off.

 

[Wall-E1]

You beat me to it. My first thought was cyclical depression or SAD. I have a long, long history of depression. Late fall is the most difficult time for me and therefore, the most likely time for me to suffer depression. When I was in high school and college I did this *exact* thing and it drove my mother crazy that after weeks of no interest in my classes I could always somehow pull an A or a B out of my hat. Sometime in January just as the days start to lengthen I usually perk up.

Seasonal affective disorder strikes a lot of people in the fall & winter, especially those who live up north where the days are shorter and greyer. My sister lives in Western Washington and they barely ever see the sun from October to April. Sometimes it gets so bad for her that she flies back to my mother's house in Mobile, AL, just to get some sun and warmth for several weeks so she can make it through the rest of the winter in WA.

OP, you have my sympathy. It's maddening when one of your kids is doing this stuff, but before I"d get mad at him I think I'd explore whether there is an organic reason for this. the fact that you say this happens every year is kind of a tip-off.

Is there a medical test for this disorder, or is this something that gets diagnosed by a therapist? If there is a medical test, I'm guessing it would be a neurologist I would take him to? This is interesting. Maybe it's not my bad parenting, after all.

 

[minkydog]

I"m pretty sure it's not your parenting. There is no blood test for depression or seasonal affective disorder. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker or a Psychologist would probably be helpful in sorting out what's going on. They don't order drugs, but they will make recommendations if they suspect there is something serious going on.