I’m not going to lie, I’m scared.
I’ve seen some bloggers not understand why parents dread having their kids home over the summer. Well, maybe those bloggers have good kids. I don’t know.
I’m kidding. My son is a good kid. He’s just....hyper. And sensitive.
Oh, and he totally flips out if someone knocks over his Legos.
I’ve done this before. I was putting away laundry, backed up and BAM, his police tower came tumbling down.
“HOW COULD YOU?” Tommy bellowed at me. (See? Sensitive.)
His sister likes to mess with his Legos just to upset him. So this means throughout the summer I constantly have to keep her away.
Sometimes they fight just because.
Like once I found them whining in the living room and when I asked what was wrong they both just blinked at me.
So yes. I dread having him home over the summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the kid to bits. He’s just so loud. And picky. Sometimes for lunch Natalie and I just have cereal. If I stick cereal in front of him he’ll turn his nose up and be all, “This isn’t lunch.” See, he has Aspergers so he has set rules in his mind. You can tell him until you are blue in the face that cereal is an appropriate lunch but he’ll just stare at you like you have a feather popping from your ear.
With summer also comes neighborhood kids coming to the door. Some kids haven’t been taught manners and they ring the bell at eight in the morning. They also like to destroy toys and question authority. I once told a kid to put the Raid away and he was all, “Why?” Um, so I don’t get SUED if you spray someone’s eye out, you brat.
It’s gonna be a lonnnnggg summer.
But after tomorrow I will officially have a third grader.
An official HYPER third grader.
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Lol. Awesome post. And good luck. And maybe you could put barbed wire around the yard to keep out those pesky neighbor kids.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know what Aspergers was, until I saw it in a tv series (at least they teach something) "parenthood".
ReplyDeleteI wish all will be fine with you.
XOXO
LOL I didnt know your son had aspergers so when I started reading this I thought to myself...huh sounds like my son, wonder if her kid has aspergers too...LOL sorry its not funny...but it is cause I so understand the not eating breakfast for lunch thing!
ReplyDeleteDon't just hate other people kids that dont have manners when you try so hard to teach your own kids manners.
All the best honey I'm feeling your pain!
Camp, sister, camp. Of course, that's only if you think your son could handle it (and maybe he can't) but I swear I see less of my kids in the summer than I do during the school year.
ReplyDeleteI knocked over a tower of blocks about a week ago and I swear my five year old didn't speak to me for almost 48 hours.
I am totally with you. I am dreading summer. I have good kids. It's just that they aren't good for me. They are good for all kinds of other people but not me.
ReplyDeletePlus we are moving, so this should be an especially enjoyable summer. NOT!
yikes.. i don't have kids.. but i DO think i kinda understand!
ReplyDeleteOh I understand your fear. My stepdaughter (13) has another month-ish of school and I'm already shuddering. Good kid, but hyper...and I have no idea what to do with her for the summer.
ReplyDeleteif the last day of schoool is tomorrow does that mean he starts again in August?
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Congrats to Tommy for passing 2nd grade!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how Aspurgers works, but I have an ADHD 9 year old going into 4th grade who I taught to make his own lunches at about Tommy's age. That might help with the lunch issues. If all else fails, you could enroll him in Summer School! :)
Oh, and for the neighborhood kids problem, I just don't let them in my house! Gary has to go outside to play with his friends! it's a double bonus. No Gary, no friends. I am a mean mom!
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ReplyDeletei cannot wait to read your summer stories. just think of all the great blogging material you're going to have!! i have a feeling tommy's going to help make your stories famous this summer. see, there's a silver lining in every cloud.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand with other peoples children don't respect property or obey adults...it drives me crazy!
ReplyDeleteMy son has ADD & ADHD so I am so with you on the hyper thing. It sounds horrible but he is like a ping pong ball(which I can say because he is my son).
Good luck this summer!
Oh dear. Isn't there a summer camp made for active third grade boys that goes from June to September?
ReplyDeleteI feel like there should be.
Yeah, the days can be SO long when the kids are home all day. And those neighbor kids are just totally out of control... Do kids come to play with Natalie sometimes, too, or are all the neighbors more Tommy's age?
ReplyDeleteGood luck-- I remember those summers well...
god bless you! my kids still have three weeks
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Invest in some war equipment, like a bomb shelter.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those weird moms who homeschooled so I didn't mind having my kids home. And genius boy has ADHD so I get you. Since I also had one with autism, I really get you.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, at least summer only lasts three months?? And lots of structured activities generally keep the kids too busy to get in too much trouble.
♥Spot
oh um good luck with that. i do not envy you one bit!
ReplyDeleteI totally get it with the Legos! One night, my mom came home from work and told me to clean my Legos up, not realizing that the bizarro spires were a CITY.
ReplyDeleteI'd built a CITY for her to see, but she wasn't interested, she just wanted me to pick up my room. I threw a huge tantrum and she picked me up - I kicked her in the stomach and she dropped me on my swatch watch, which tore my chin open.
Half an hour later I was getting stitched shut at the county hospital.
Legos is serious business.
I've still got three more weeks and then I'll be in the same dilema. Without a car. Fun fun fun!
ReplyDeleteI've got an ADHD kid, so I can relate to the hyper activity. My goal every summer is just to wear her out, so there's lots of swimming, bike riding, running and planned activities. Now that she's a 4th grader, I've also told her she is my personal assistant during the summer, so she's at my beck and call. So far, so good...
ReplyDeleteIs it inappropriate to crate train a child??? I'm just sayin'... LoL! JUST KIDDING!
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old has Asperger's, too. It's tough to balance out the relaxed rules of summer for my kids with my son's need for structure.
ReplyDeleteYay, Tommy!
ReplyDeleteSorry, Momma! Maybe some camps?
Good luck!
is there honestly any sahm who looks forward to summer? maybe i did when the boy was little and cute and easy to boss around but now that he's bigger than me and not so easy to boss? i may need to find a cool, small, summer job!
ReplyDeleteI was tempted to try some camps but I'm not sure how Tommy would do. Maybe in a few years.
ReplyDeletePlus we're going to visit family over the summer so that would interrupt the camp time as well.
You should check out the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Your kid joins the club for the year, the membership fee is minimal and they have a summer time drop-off program.
ReplyDeleteThis summer my third-grader will go a couple of times a week. You drop them off at 9 and have to pick up by 4 (or earlier if need be)so it's not a full day and you could judge how he does.
Hey cool, after next Tuesday I will have a 3rd grader too! :)
ReplyDeleteMine go to daycamps in the summer. That is the way to go!
Like Meredith says, what stories you are going to have over the summer! We will be thoroughly entertained by all your sufferings ....!
ReplyDeleteKids with Asperger's can definitely pose some challenges! I have a 6 year old girl with Asperger's and can totally relate with what you're talking about. My solution over the summer is camp! She's an only child, and we live in a neighborhood without many kids, so she really needs camp to socialize. The added benefit is that it keeps me from going totally crazy!
ReplyDeletei feel the same way about my older son--i love the boy, but does he HAVE to be so non-stop? i'd like to use the bathroom in peace, thank you. well, at least your kid is cute (i mean, so is mine, but i just thought i would let you know). sheesh this comment makes no sense. i should probably take a nap.
ReplyDeleteA very cute 3rd grader! Good luck with both kids for the summer!
ReplyDeleteGood luck. Henry's last day is today, which I'm missing his graduation right now (darn child care gig) and have a love/hate thing with him being home too.
ReplyDeleteMy excitement is Wyatt AND Henry will be in school come September (but there I go messing that up by having a baby in August!) ;)
I'll take him! We'll spend noon time eating fancy lunches and spend hours at the legos. Everything I build, my son rips apart!
ReplyDeleteIt's the loud that always got to me. Everything else I could handle. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMy boys' school ended last week.
ReplyDeleteI'm already wishing for summer school.
I love my son.. but I am kind of excited for him to go to school in two years..
ReplyDeleteA break is ALWAYS a good thing! It makes you appreciate your kiddos more! ;) lol
GOOD LUCK!
I hear ya'. I wrote a post on my boys being home today. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I tried to convince mine to go wait for the bus the other morning...they didn't fall for it. Summer. Kids. A buttload from the neighborhood that don't belong to me and yup...don't listen. Is using duct tape a bad thing???
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little I liked nothing more for my legos to get knocked down - I get all confused by kids who actually use them to build things.
ReplyDeleteI mean, isn't destruction their point?
Silly children, building things up isn't very childlike.
He is the most adorable hyper kid I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the crazies that can't wait for school to be out!
blog fodder 24/7.
ReplyDeleteI love it.
Ah, yes, tomorrow, I'll officially have a third grader, too. All I can say is thank goodness for a few Y camps!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank goodness my kids are still in preschool for another year. They do have "camp" for summer swimming every day and doing all kinds of other fun things!
ReplyDeleteI dispise when kids say "Why?" after everything. The kids in my class always say that..I'll say, "C'mon ya'll, let's clean up the classroom please"... "WHY?!"... My answer is always "It's YES MA'AM, not why!".. and then they roll their eyes at me and curse me behind my back. The best part is I get them alllll summer for summer camp. Lucky me ;) I can just see us getting kicked out of the aquarium and the baseball stadium as I type this because they backtalked the authorities.
ReplyDeleteHave a fun summer with your kiddos! I cant wait to hear all the funny stories :)
Ah yes! I remember those summers! We practically lived at the park! Good luck and hang in there!
ReplyDeleteOh heck, Amber, I told you I'd take him. And I would never give him cereal for lunch. Alex would not understand cereal for lunch either. And Natalie does what Harry does to Honey. He gets her riled up and then she gets in trouble for biting him. Yeah, they are dogs, but same difference.
ReplyDeleteI can relate...except mine will be official 3rd and 4th graders, and I have an extra week to go. The key to summertime for us, drugs and tequilla (oh wait that's for me...kidding!...really I am.) Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteDoes Tom get any leave before he's off to Korea? Cause I'm thinking you should be booking mani/pedi's and massages for at least a few hours of that. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteDoes he operate better with a schedule? Can you sign him up for things during the summer? Day camp? Bible school? Swim lessons? Anything to keep him busy. They usually have good programs at the local libraries, too.
ReplyDeleteDid you see that movie coming out called, "Adam" about a grown man (early 20's perhaps) who has aspergers and he falls in love with a woman? Looks like a good movie.
The only thing worse then a "you knocked over my Legos" meltdown is a "@#$%%&! I just stepped on a Lego" meltdown.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to surviving the 2nd grade. For the summer-- LOTS of physical activity to tire him out :-)
jj
I'm also going to have an official 3rd grader... And I envy all you guys because you have summer camps, etc on summer.. in Jakarta I haven't found anything like, so when it comes to summer I'm covered with guilt for not knowing what to do besides swimming and sleeping over granny...
ReplyDeleteBut anyway... good luck and have a great summer
Thanks for stopping by..
Since entering the blogosphere, my awareness of the spectrum has skyrocketed. Your ability to find humor in what is so challenging is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how ill-mannered kids are lately...have parents forgotten how to say 'no?' Good luck with the summer!
ReplyDeleteAww... You don't fool me... You are going to love having Tommy home creating excitement....
ReplyDelete:)
You've got a spammer - hate those!!!
ReplyDeleteYour son is adorable, and lego freaks grow up to be geniuses so be nice and he'll buy Mommy a big house some day!
Besides, I've got A Bella, and she's been home for two weeks, one of which she's been sick.
I hate summer....
Hopefully, this summer goes better than expected for you....if not, we can chat together, as my toddler bullies my preschooler!
ReplyDeleteUm... we're also doing camp. The official reason is so Moochie gets to "practice socializing with girls before starting kindergarten" because it's been mostly boys @ school so far, but honestly? I can't do 24-7. She'd wear me down to a brainless nub.
ReplyDeleteHe's allowed to be a bit...particular - he's cute enough to get away with it!
ReplyDeleteWe have the lego problem here, too. And the sibling problem. I hear ya. Fortunately, it's winter here in NZ so the kids are still in school.
ReplyDeleteI don't like that school is out either! Except that's because Nickelodeon plays "big kid" shows all day now instead of toddler ones in the morning. I don't WANT to watch iCarly!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I am so with you on this one! I feel guilty for acting like my kids drive me insane, but it's true!
ReplyDelete