So SS is back to picking at the food I make for dinner. Then he faked being asleep when I told the kids to pick up the living room. I caught him when I came into his room to put a toy in his toy box,my youngest had just finished cleaning up the mess by himself.That's ok tomorrow SS will be cleaning up his room by himself. This seems to be happening a lot lately. I have caught him sitting on the bed playing with toys, while my youngest is cleaning up the mess they made together. He will leave soda cans, water bottles, and food wrappers in the floor amongst other places.

He just seems to be getting lazier with each passing year. He is 9 years old and wears a size 14 husky in clothing. DH and I were so concerned about his weight gain, that we bought him a basketball goal for his birthday, he does enjoy playing b-ball, but only if he wins, when he doesn't win he cries, or pouts. He does same thing when we go bowling, it got so bad, that I just got to the point I didn't want to go anymore. We have tried to explain good sportsmanship , and it just doesn't seem to get through. We feel like he gets babied at BM's to the point that he is mentally regressing to toddler age.

WE always have to remind him to wash his hands, and to please not pee on the toilet seat, and it really gets frustrating. I know I know patience, but geesh he is 9 years old, shouldn't some of this be sinking in by now. The house rules, and expectations have been the same for the past 3 years, my sons get it, why the heck can't he?

Ok, done venting, going to read Anne's survival tips post, and see if I can reel some of my sanity back in from the brink. Since I posted so much negative stuff about SS I wanted to say that he is a good kid the majority of the time. It just seems like everytime we think we are making progress, he comes to us in a "mood", and we are right back at square one. Venting here helps me keep my composure.