Almost Normal

To some people, normal is boring, like it's a bad thing but in my world, I think boring is good. This past weekend was as good as it gets.

For most of the week, I've been ignoring Colin due to his constant "Kill Her" mode with the dog. I've been struggling how to deal with his Jeckyll and Hyde behavior. One minute he is sending messages that the dog wants to kill me and the next he will ask a question in a normal manner of speaking. I mentioned on Monday that I would answer his question (something pertaining to "The Voice" that was on the t.v. at the time) but after that I was not going to talk to him as long as he continued to use the dog to send hateful messages. I find it irritating that I am the one who is responsible for the majority of Sumter's care, only to be told the dog hates me. I love the pup but he adds a bit of stress to my workdays.

Later in the week, I whipped out my cellphone to record some of Colin's sing-songy killer-dog messages at breakfast. His reaction was quite interesting. He snapped into "normal" mode and asked what I was going to record.

I am beginning to wonder if my phone has magic powers. The bad behavior is only done in private. My son does not want to risk the outside world seeing his disrespect. I was not able to get him "on-camera" with his schtick but had fun trying!

As Good As It Gets

Saturday afternoon Colin and his eldest brother had their final cross-county meet. My eldest achieved his personal best time of his high school career and Colin had his 2nd best time of the year. As usual we brought Sumter along, as he has a calming effect on our son and has become a team mascot. Later that night, Dad picked up some pizzas to celebrate and we had a quiet night at home.

This morning we went to Bob Evan's for Sunday breakfast. I reveled in the "normal-ness" of the outing. When we got  home I decided to push my luck and see if Colin wanted to go to the dog park with Sumter and me. I was a bit surprised that he decided to come along. He brought his camera and seemed to enjoy taking photos and videos of the dogs at play.

Colin spent the rest of the afternoon in the family room, watching videos on his computer, listening through headphones. He has been spending more time upstairs. Some of this may have to do with better internet reception than in the basement but I will take this as a sign of progress.

At dinnertime, Colin fed Sumter and then took him outside to play in the backyard. He raked leaves into a pile for his pup to jump and play in. I am glad he was able to take a break from his laptop and get some fresh air.

Basking in the Mundane

Tonight as I am doing laundry, I decided to post an update to celebrate "Normal". While the messages of "Kill" have not completely gone away, they were kept at a minimum for the weekend. It helps to lay low and avoid contact.

I think I may need to write a book about "Detachment Parenting"...

Right after I publish my "Stress Diet" (I've lost around 20 lbs this past year and am down to my high school weight).

As always....

We are a work-in-progress!