Dylan Needed a Job.
Dylan stayed with his grandparents for the weekend and I had a “special” vacation weekend with Shane. During this time, I went to visit my husband during a work conference near the Bay. We got there late on Friday and left on Sunday morning – and it rained nearly all day on Saturday.
Here is what I have learned:
- Shane only wants to watch TV. He would be fine sitting in a hotel room, watching TV for 16 hours.
- When Shane finally decides to do something other than watch TV, he is perfectly happy with whatever it is – a game, a walk, a snack. The trick is to get him to agree to do something different.
- Sleeping with Shane is much more difficult, now that he is 11. He takes up way too much space on the bed.
The day after I arrived home, we needed to pick up some concert tickets that Dylan won. So I drove the boys to D.C. in the car. It’s not a long drive, but it’s long enough. Having not seen Dylan for awhile, I was out of practice. Here is what I learned in the one-hour car trip:
- Dylan’s normal teenage sense of humor is always on my nerves. I spent the entire trip reprimanding Dylan for being rude to me and Shane.
- There is nothing, nothing, nothing I can do to change Dylan’s need to be right all the time.
- Shane will never not defend Dylan – and even if he is hurt by Dylan’s words, he will not fight back. Whatever Dylan says or does to Shane is okay with Shane.
When I came home, I whined to my mother about how she “put up with” Dylan for two days while I was gone. She said he was wonderful – kind, polite and mature.
I said that I left the kids at the park because I couldn’t stand them anymore.
So she reminded me Dylan needed a Job.
I had forgotten that getting Dylan focused on something of importance for an hour can keep him focused for up to three consecutive days!
So when Dylan comes home, he will be creating a restaurant for the family, complete with a menu, and making lunch for us. This is something Dylan loves to do – and he is quite good at it – so it should be a rollicking success.
Thanks, Mom!