Beth has been so hyper this week. Big time. I’m hoping it’s the latest virus coming out of her as when we first started this flaxseed oil treatment all those months ago she was like it too. We had seen huge improvements during that phase as far as communication was concerned but her behaviour was almost out of control. It’s the same this time. She’s (in my opinion anyway) communicating really well and very alert but a bit of a nightmare at other times.
We had swimming on Monday night which she enjoyed. She had Bridie’s teacher Sarah this week because Caprice was away but it didn’t bother her and she worked well. She did start making some awful noises that she does occasionally, an awful croupy cough sound from the back of her throat. It sounds dreadful when we’re there because there’s a real echo because of course public pools are so big. And the time that she has her lesson there’s only usually 3 or 4 people there at the beginning as it’s before school ends, so it’s even more echoey than usual. I cringe when she does this noise cos I think that people will hear it and think what an awful mum I must be to send such a sick child to swimming of all things. Luckily she stopped pretty soon.
Tuesday night we had friends over for dinner and I let Bill play on the computer after they left. Well this just wasn’t on as far as Beth was concerned. She went right off on one of her doozys of a tantrum, saying what she thought we should be saying. Bad mother here finds myself argueing back sometimes even though I know it makes no difference. I tried to explain how she always gets to play on the computer and that it was Bill’s turn tonight etc etc. When she tried to argue the point I was so over it that I just turned around and said “Too bad, you can’t play on it all the time Beth.” To which she of course replied “Too good Beth, you can play in a minute!” I shouldn’t have bitten back but sometimes I just can’t help myself. She got more and more frantic with me offering to read to her amongst other things and every answer she gave ending in “and then I can play on the computer.” In the end I got some massage oil out and lay her on our bed. It’s the one that I made up for helping her to get to sleep but it didn’t work that night. It did however calm her down and we read books until bedtime. I hate it when she gets like that. It’s so hard at times too because of course we’ve got other kids wanting things too. Bridie cracked it because I wasn’t massaging her too and Bill might just interrupt in the middle of the tantrum to ask for a drink! I guess they’re so used to her being like that that their lives still have to go on. And of course when you’re young you think the whole world evolves around you.
Bedtime came not soon enough and I settled in for what was a fairly uneventful evening. The only problem was that Beth just wasn’t going to sleep. I thought that we’d get a few weeks in after daylight savings ended, that we would get a few earlier nights but no, if anything Beth is going to sleep even later. At 11 I went to bed only to hear her light switch on again. When I went it she stated that she had to read one more book and started to get a bit frenzied when I told her that no, she couldn’t, it was 11pm. Of course time doesn’t seem to mean much to Beth but she did know it was late. In the end I told her that if I heard or saw her turn the light on again then she wouldn’t be able to play on the computer the next night either. That shut her up! Thank goodness.
Last night we had Will over for a play and dinner and seemed to be a pretty good night with Beth though I went to bed and Paul stayed up so I’m not sure what time she went to sleep. It’s my turn tonight. I’m not very happy because Medium isn’t on so it’s thrown me for tonights viewing!
Dropping Beth off at school this morning wasn’t smooth sailing either. She’s always had a thing about going to the toilet as soon as the bell rings but lately she’s been coming around to the prep building with a quivering chin looking for me. When I come out she wails at me “Muuuuuum, I need to go to the toilet.” Once or twice last year it had been locked but it hasn’t been lately. I’ll have to talk to her teacher about it and try and knock it on the head, otherwise it’ll get bigger and bigger. She’s done this every morning this week. I don’t know why because I just say “Go on then, it’s open” and off she goes. When one of the other mums laughed and said “oh that’s ok, she’s just checking with you” I replied with “No it’s bloody not, where’s her independance!” She’s quite capable of going to the toilet by herself, she’s 11 for goodness sakes. Luckily I can laugh about it now!
On a positive note to my day I just received a $50 cheque in the mail for the That’s Life letter that was published about my blog. At least now I can say that I’m a paid writer!
