Difficult 10 Year Old

 

I wrote a journal book about how difficult Ty was when he was little. Now I will write to give us in the future a view on how difficult Athena is today. At just turned ten: Every weeks she brings home a red folder from school. I usually ask weekly "do you have anything for me in the folder?" A lot of time there really isn't anything. But recently she failed to show me a paper showing an extra craft club day and so she missed the club. I didn't know they were doing it that day!

Athena earned a honorable mention award from her teacher at school. This morning I went to the awards ceremony. So proud of Athena! While there the administration announced that parents are allowed to take their students home (insinuating to go celebrate their achievement) but they will be counted unexcused absent. Athena got super excited and determined to leave school for the day. It was 10:30am! I was sick and needed to go take a nap. She wanted to go celebrate and then watch TV. No deal. She fought me so hard. Saying she would come lay with me while I rest. She would read and write and then watch TV. She was determined. It was so annoying. But I am the mom and she ended up staying at school. Which I really needed.

Today she didn't like school lunch and says she skipped lunch. Then I served celery soup and focaccia bread for dinner at five o clock. This is a filling meal and she had a huge piece of bread. I realized at her birthday party that I am serving her too much food for a ten year old. When I gave her more cake than she can eat. I am part of the eating problem. So tonight I served her a small smoothie at 7:30pm. She wanted to eat Easy Mac. I said "no". She cried. She said "I'm starving!" Snack time is not a whole meal. She debated. "That's not a meal to me. It doesn't fill me up." I told her that she is ten now and since she is growing up needs to start making smarter health choices. She cried . For the first time I admitted a loud to her that if she keeps this mindset she will grow up to be a fat woman. That a little bit of hunger is the healthy thing. That from now on bedtime snack will be a regulated by parents sized snack. She cried.

Even when I give her reasons she doesn't accept them. She debated. It's irritating. But I still love her.

And

I am proud of her behavior the past six months. Since we've moved to Georgia she wasn't done anything "bad."

I have mentioned twice, at the bakery, to coworkers that Athena has stolen my credit card to go shopping and brought snakes into grandma's house. And my coworkers are shocked! Apparently that's bad behavior for a child. lol. It's not normal.