difficult child came home all excited about signing up for a new school activity...
That's great!....Except that we have made it clear that there will be NO activities, clubs, teams, etc until the grades are UP. I reminded difficult child that she is currently failing a couple of classes.
Well, difficult child was FURIOUS. That's not fair! Yelled that just because she doesn't do homework is no reason for teachers to give her a bad grade. I told her she can't keep getting zeroes and expect to get good grades. difficult child feels that she should STILL have at least a C - regardless of homework...homework "shouldn't count".
Well, I told her that she'd have to take that up with her teachers...
So she stomped around the house a little bit, muttering under her breath....and then walked out the door and took off. Gone.
Since one cannot leave my house without permission and expect to slink back in whenever they want - I locked the doors.
Sure enough...difficult child came back later and tried to quietly slip in un-noticed...BUT door was locked. Now she was REALLY angry and upset.
So what did she do? Have a fit? Try to break in? Go to a friend's house?
Nope.
She sat and pouted quietly on the front step and waited for her Dad to get home....nearly an hour.
And when he got home...we talked it out. difficult child acknowledges she was wrong to leave AND that she needs to improve her grades AND she agreed to do extra chores this weekend as a consequence for taking off.
Wow!
What started as a typical "difficult child Meltdown Event" wound up being semi OK. No violence. No police.
I guess that's progress!
(And to think therapist feels I need to get even "touhger" over school stuff....Sheesh!)
That's great!....Except that we have made it clear that there will be NO activities, clubs, teams, etc until the grades are UP. I reminded difficult child that she is currently failing a couple of classes.
Well, difficult child was FURIOUS. That's not fair! Yelled that just because she doesn't do homework is no reason for teachers to give her a bad grade. I told her she can't keep getting zeroes and expect to get good grades. difficult child feels that she should STILL have at least a C - regardless of homework...homework "shouldn't count".
Well, I told her that she'd have to take that up with her teachers...
So she stomped around the house a little bit, muttering under her breath....and then walked out the door and took off. Gone.
Since one cannot leave my house without permission and expect to slink back in whenever they want - I locked the doors.
Sure enough...difficult child came back later and tried to quietly slip in un-noticed...BUT door was locked. Now she was REALLY angry and upset.
So what did she do? Have a fit? Try to break in? Go to a friend's house?
Nope.
She sat and pouted quietly on the front step and waited for her Dad to get home....nearly an hour.
And when he got home...we talked it out. difficult child acknowledges she was wrong to leave AND that she needs to improve her grades AND she agreed to do extra chores this weekend as a consequence for taking off.
Wow!
What started as a typical "difficult child Meltdown Event" wound up being semi OK. No violence. No police.
I guess that's progress!
(And to think therapist feels I need to get even "touhger" over school stuff....Sheesh!)