I just can't stay mad at that kid....

"A lying witness is unconvincing; a person who speaks the truth is respected." Proverbs 21:28 (The Message)

This scripture is on the chalkboard in the kitchen (where we usually write Hangover quotes). Also, when I was looking for scriptures about lying I found this one:

"A refusal to correct is a refusal to love. Love your children by discipling them." Proverbs 12:24

I really needed that one too cuz yesterday I was tired of lecturing him and scolding him and I was contemplating just giving up and letting him smoke. I even ran that idea by Jimmie and he said we can't. And last night after me and Austin cleared the air, I told him I had suggested that to Jimmie and Austin said no you guys can't give up. You can't let me smoke... and I was thinking umm then don't smoke... but I guess he enjoys us lecturing him every once in a while. I don't know...

Anyway, so when I got home yesterday (Jimmie is Evansville, IN) in the mail we had received a progress report on which, to Austin's credit, there are 3 A's, and 2 C's but there are also 2 F's... argh! We had known about one F but it hasn't budged despite the fact that Austin says he has tried to get some extra credit in that class; the second F was new. And Austin had seen this report and signed that he saw it on FRIDAY. And I saw it for the first time on TUESDAY. The F's don't make me as mad as him not telling us about them when he knew about them. We've had that conversation over and over and over... no surprises! I don't like surprises....

So when he got home I was sitting at the table waiting for him to come in and sit down so we could have a talk. But for some reason, unbeknownst to me, when I came home, I had locked the backdoor behind me. So when he came home to a locked door, he figured I was still mad and that I had locked him out (I wouldn't do that no matter how mad I was). So he went to the back yard to play basketball. I spied on him for a bit because he was fooling with something in his backpack... I thought maybe I was about to catch him smoking again. lol

Anyway, I hollered for him to get his butt inside and we sat down and had a talk. I confronted him with the report card, and he explained that he had already talked with one of the teachers and got the projects turned in so that grade is now a D. What's so frustrating is that he's not a D and F student... he's smarter than that. Granted the subjects are English and Humanities. I know those subjects are typically harder for boys. Humanities is a class I have never heard of but they study various things that I know just don't interest Austin... we have a meeting at school on Thursday so I'm sure we'll get all this talked over with the teachers...

As for the smoking.. obviously we have work to do on that front... I continually ask him if we need to like get him the patch or something but he assured me that he doesn't need that.

He also admitted that I totally busted him and that he didn't go for a run but rather a smoke. Later yesterday he asked if he could tell me something without me getting mad again... I said maybe... and he told me that when he came home yesterday, he had another cigarette with him and when he came home and went to the backyard, he said he thought about smoking it but instead tore it up in pieces and buried it in the yard.

I told him I was also mad at him because he ruined my plan the night before of giving him the silent treatment until he admitted that he smoked but he went to bed at 7:00. So last night he let me pretend to still be mad and give him the silent treatment.

I am still aggrevated about the lying but as I said in the previous post, I'm really trying hard to not take that personally because I really do feel that is just part of the dance between a parent and their kid... kids fib and lie to get what they want and it's our job to stay alert and not be naive and to bust every lie bubble that we can. And hopefully one day, if we've been diligent, that moral character will take hold and they will blossom in to a truthful person, and if not, you just pray that when your kids are your age, they have a child just as difficult for them to deal with as they are now!! lol

I think I'm going to keep posting scriptures on the chalkboard... we're not there yet.. but I think we're making head way... parenting is hard and I really don't like to do the discipline parts... it's so against my nature to be mad and confrontational but I feel like this experience is really stretching me and making me grow up in areas I haven't yet...

anyway... that's our continuing saga... he's sort of grounded... the good thing with teenagers these days is that they sort of come with obvious collateral... the cell phone and mp3 player are now safely hidden in my room for a bit... but as I titled this post... I just can't stay mad at that kid.... what a kid! I love that ornery stinkin boy kid!