All this Trouble in Three Days?

I love my son. I really do. But I would give my eye teeth to make him understand the idea of self control.

He's going to be thirteen soon (if he makes it until next month), And I'm not sure if his recent actions are from becoming a teen with raging hormones, or that he has Aspergers and just doesn't understand how to control himself.

It's probably a bit of both.

Two days back from Christmas vacation he accidentally nails a kid in the lip with a pencil (the teacher said the other child is fine). Then yesterday he gets his wrist caught between two heavy doors at school, and I get a call from the school nurse, saying he's in her office, moaning and cradling his wrist as if it was going to fall off.

"How bad is it?" I ask.
"There is a little swelling, and we put ice on it, but he's fussing so much that maybe you'd better take him to the doctor's office."
"You think he's Drama Kinging?" I ask, both of us knowing full well he likes to make life a bit more interesting when he's hurt.
"At first I thought so, and I still think he's overdoing it some, but it really should be X-rayed, just to be sure."
"X-rayed? I'll get him as soon as I can."

Unfortunately I didn't have the car- my husband did. So he got off from work early to pick him up.
Ten minutes later, I get another call from the nurses office.
"Mrs. Brubaker, after I finished speaking with you, another student came in and he's sitting there chatting with her. He's still cradling his wrist, but he stopped moaning about the pain. Do you still want to get him?"
It's only about forty-five minutes until school ends for the day, but I knew my husband was already en route. I told her my husband would be there soon, and hung up the phone with a sigh. He picked up my daughter from school too (since she got out soon after he picked up my son), dropped her off at the house, and off to the emergency room they went.

They got home three hours later, my son sporting a splint wrapped up all the way to his elbow, and a huge grin on his face. Apparently he got a lot of attention from the ER staff. He couldn't wait to show everyone his injury in school this morning.

The funny thing is, it was a slight sprain, so he was milking it for all it was worth. My husband was asked by one of the ER docs, "Did you really need to bring him here? The sprain isn't that bad." But because the doctors office was closed, this was our only other option so he could get back into school. Basically, it looks worse than it is, and that's just the way my son likes it.

Of course he's right-handed, and it was the right wrist he hurt. Kind of hard to feel sorry for him when he's grinning more than a Cheshire cat and stating he hurts too much to do any chores or homework. I'll give him today off, but after that, the Drama King is on light duty!

I'd love to see what's happening at school right now, especially since he was supposed to write an apology letter to the classmate that he hurt the other day as part of his discipline. It's times like these I wish I had a spy camera, just to see how long he's going to wheedle his way out of any written work. It might be good book material!

Please Lord, let this day be uneventful!

Oh no....Is that the phone ringing?