Are You Listening?!

I've said it before - and after this morning it bears repeating - that not every day with Aaron is full of "HaHa Happy Moments."  He can get very frustrated and then become very frustrating.  It seems like he starts getting into a pattern and keeps going downhill until something puts the brakes on.  At times we are the ones who must apply the brakes, get him back on track, and then enjoy the good days until we see that pattern starting to take shape again. 

Up and down.............up and down................I feel like a yo-yo.  Just call me Yo-Yo Ma.  Sorry - that was bad and I apologize to all you music lovers out there.

The last few days I've noticed Aaron getting more frustrated in the mornings.  Remember the blog about The Lost Trust?  Well, he's lost his trust..........again.  Letting him keep his computer keyboard in the mornings isn't working out...........again.  He's been getting mouthier and mouthier, not wanting to be in a hurry, not caring about taking a shower, so forth and so on.

Today he got very angry with me as I was urging him to get ready.  He finally called me a name.  So today while he was gone I removed his keyboard.  When he got home from his group, I was once again upstairs and listened to his typical, "Mom!!!"   

He found me and began telling me about his day........which was mostly about what he had eaten.............a #5 meal at Auntie Anne's Pretzels.  If you know what a #5 meal is at Auntie Anne's then you eat there way too much.  He described the Pretzel Dog to me - "It's pretzel dough wrapped around a hot dog and it's BIG!!!"   He told me it came with a drink - "Mom, could I have had coffee?"  -  but he chose a Root Beer instead.  He finished with, "Later we stopped at Sonic and I got a water and now I'm stuffed!  Can you tell?"

Honestly, Aaron, you always look stuffed to me.  No, I didn't say that out loud.........just in my head, where I regularly hold conversations with Aaron that I don't want him to hear.

He finally clomped up the hall to his room, and there was silence.  Then he clomped back to my room and said, "So can I have the keyboard back?" 

I told him maybe, but I don't know when and don't ask when.  So he said, "When?"

Why do I even bother?

Whereupon I refreshed his memory concerning our not-so-pleasant morning and finished by asking, "Aaron, what did you call me this morning?"

And he answered, "I don't know.  I wasn't listening!"

I couldn't laugh.  I couldn't snicker.  I couldn't even grin.  I had to be serious and stern and use this teachable moment, knowing that he probably wouldn't learn anything long-term anyway but I have to keep trying. 

It is very unhealthy for me not to laugh, so I was so happy later when Wendy called me and I could belt out a huge laugh about it with her while Aaron wasn't near. 

HOW CAN YOU NOT LISTEN TO YOURSELF, AARON???!!!

But I can tell you one thing..........he was listening to ME for some time after that!