Last day of school ... My life, as I know it, is now over

[TerryJ2]

Oh, how I dread summer. difficult child will want to play computer games All. Day. Long.
Yesterday, the school nurse called and said he was sick. I picked him up. Turned out that he had no breakfast, no fluids, nada, then went out and played football, running full steam with-no stretching or warm-up. Came back into the bldg with-stomach cramps and heat exhaustion. Why, why, why don't these kids ever learn? (I know there's no answer, just venting here.)
Sometimes I make him go for a 1-mile walk with-me to earn computer time, just so his legs won't atrophy. Really. I've never seen anyone so lacking in motivation.

This a.m. he ate two platefuls of pancakes. I can never tell from day to day what he'll eat. But at least he'll have energy for school.

Last night was closing ceremonies for baseball. difficult child did not want to go out into the heat (it was only 82) and also hates the crowds (you may remember opening ceremonies ... 2 clonidine, and his nerves still wouldn't calm and husband took him home). I didn't even argue the point. Just accepted it. Sad but wth, I have to give up on any semblance of "normal" in his life.

I've only got 2 wks of camp planned.

Tomorrow we leave for MN so at least there will be family there to distract him for 4 days.

Thanks for listening.

 

[crazymama30]

Oh Terry I feel your pain. Luckily my difficult child will be active, but not really enough and not at things he should be doing. I am one who would love year round school!

 

[ML]

Terry school has been out two weeks and we're dealing with this same thing. We have some planned activities each week but there is still more down time that I like. I LOVE your idea of walking a mile to earn screen time. I'm going to use that!

 

[Wiped Out]

Hugs! We hadn't even had an entire day off when husband was ready to go back to work. Our difficult child wants our attention 24/7. It's exhausting! He's not excited but we are that he goes to camp next week. He will have 5 weeks of day camp this summer, not as much as last summer but it's all we could afford.

 

[JJJ]

I wish we lived closer. Eeyore could sit in the same room with him and they could both play on their computers. Remember the parallel play of the toddler years....

 

[TerryJ2]

Yep, lol!

 

[DammitJanet]

Have you looked into 4H camps? They are normally pretty reasonable. Also, local rec departments run day camps. How bout swimming lessons or art lessons or even *gasp* computer lessons...lol. Anything to get him out of the house.

 

[TerryJ2]

Nope, not yet. I'm Googling it right now.

 

[TerryJ2]

Okay, most camps are for kids 9-13. The one for teens was for 4H leadership and took place last Dec.
Oh well.

 

[susiestar]

Check to see if the local YMCA has any teen camps. This was our saving grace one summer wtih Wiz. Usually they do a lot of field trips -1 or 2 per week - and they have a separate place to hang out from the little kids at daycamp. It is the ONLY option we ever found for teens. I wish that there was a way to get some kind of summer activity for teens that would help with kids that age.

Sadly, the summer of computer games all day seems to actually be almost normal in our area. Many kids here do nothing but screen time all day while parents work or do their own thing. Having to earn screen time seems like a great solution to me, but probably comes with nonstop arguing and even raging.

I tried hard to get husband to work up a class on programming computer games to be taught to teens but so far he hasn't done much. I think many parents would be willing to pay for this so at least the computer time would be spent learning something. So many kids dream of being game designers or testers that I think it would be very popular if done well.

 

[KTMom91]

Sending hugs and strength, Terry.

 

[BusynMember]

Easter Seals has camps (for free, I believe) for High Functioning autistic spectrum kids. (The kids need to be capable of taking care of themselves). I think most of his boredom is due to that (and that's also why he wants computer 24/7). Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids have a low imagination and have no idea how to amuse themselves without props so they don't know how to handle it without videogames or television. I am not convinced they outgrow this particular trait, but school and later on work make them unable to do it all day. It forced interaction.

Also, have you considered summer school? My son MUST go to summer school. It is mandatory otherwise he too would sit on his computer/video system all day. I'm not totally against letting Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids spend a lot of time with the stuff they love to do, because of the imagination deficit, but I *don't* want it to be the ONLY thing he does. Thus, summer school and, if we can this year, a week at Easter Seals camp. He could use learning social skills and life skills, which they teach at camp, and interacting with other young adults who are like him.

 

[shellyd67]

My kids were arguing 10 minutes after they came home today !

I signed difficult child up for baseball camp for 2 weeks and easy child and I are going to a cake decorating class at our local arts & crafts store.

We also belong to our town pool and and that REALLY helps keep them busy.

We have a great babysitter while I work part-time at our family business so that is a plus.

But those moments we are home and they are bored WATCH OUT !

By August, I am ready to hurt someone !

 

[hamlet]

We have been out of school for a full week here. It's been nothing but squabbling and bickering the whole time. NOTHING I do or say is satisfactory to difficult child. He has been in constant "mini-rage" state for most of the week, and a couple of times a full-out rage.

What are you supposed to say to these kids when they threaten to kill their best friend? What are you supposed to say when an hour later they are playing together as if nothing happened?

I'm exhausted and I have to drag them with me while I keep up the pretense of work. Next summer, more camps!