So we had a rough week here at Big Dyke Mama's house. Eleventh Kid is having a rough time at school and with the program he's in. It hasn't really translated over into to home life, but there have been some concerned emails between us and his case manager. Also a visit from a police officer. Ugh.
I've heard this from other foster parents, and I'm sure there are plenty of bio parents who could say the same thing. The way they are at home is not indicative of the way they are at school. At home we have thoughtful discussions, he uses his manners, he asks for help when he needs it, he is eager to help with chores and tasks. I hear at school he is argumentative, disruptive, and will refuse to participate in class. This is not the sweetheart that I know.
I do think, however, that some progress got made. We'll see how that pans out next week. I think he's starting to grasp that bad behavior and acting out are not the way that he should go about trying to get things to change. People are more likely to listen to your requests if you are trying your hardest rather protesting your hardest. (I get that that isn't always true, so just trust me that in this particular situation it IS true.)
Even after a rough week, we still had a nice weekend. Lots of laundry and cooking got done, lots of TV-watching got done, lots of reading got done, lots of planning got done, lots of shopping got done. He likes patterns the way I like patterns: Taco Tuesday, Sausage Thursday, Patsy's Pizza and El Tapatio alternate Fridays. This makes meal planning WAY easier. :) One pop per day, one Pop-Tart per day, one Clif Bar per day. All the junk food wears away at my soul a little bit, but I can't change someone's eating habits overnight. Slowly slowly we are working toward maybe a bit more whole fruit and maybe some nuts for a snack and maybe you can just have a glass of water instead of the pre-packaged snacks. The food bill is insanely high this month, and it's all in pre-packaged snacks!
Everyone is well-fed, though; Eleventh Kid said he's put on almost one pound since arriving. (Good, cos he's skinny.) He's enjoying my cooking and wants to start learning some more cooking skills from me. He even trusts me enough at this point to start meal-planning without his input! Ha! Little does he know that will mean more veggies and less meat! Ha!
So here's hoping that next week goes more smoothly than the last. I really really love this kid and I really really want good things to happen for him.
