Of course, compared to his older sister and his younger sister, this kid drove me crazy. He was always so happy, so preoccupied with playing, drawing, his friends, his tv shows or life in general that he often only half listened to what he was being told. It drove me insane!
I finally was talking to his 1st grade teacher one day about his lack of enthusiasm to finish homework and how he had ZERO interest in reading books, magazines... anything! And out of frustration told her about the lack of focus and about the paper towel story - which was typical of every day in our household.
To my surprise and my relief she laughed. She said; "Welcome to the world of boys."
She was not only a well seasoned teacher of almost two decades, but she had two sons, one of which was 14 or 15 year old at the time. She told me a couple of her own stories about asking him for a knife to cut something and he would show up 10 minutes later with a butter knife (unable to cut anything!). She and I discussed the differences between boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 18 and how their brains are different, they mature slower, they don't focus as easily...
and over the years I've thought of this woman many,
many times! She's probably the reason that Coffeekid is still alive and that I haven't killed him by this point. LOL. (Also why I haven't killed my husband who also doesn't see past the end of his nose, is incapable of seeing the big picture in any situation and needs to be told exactly, precisely what needs to be done as "out of sight, out of mind" should be a warning beacon constantly hung around his neck!).
When speaking to my son (and my husband! LOL) I've learned to make sure they are actually looking at me (focus!) and sometimes, when it involves 2 or 3 steps I'll say it up to three times to make SURE my son is getting it. (Do you remember that Sesame Street cartoon from the 70's and 80's of the little boy going to the store to get a loaf of bread, a carton of milk and a pound of butter? He repeats it all the way to the store to make sure he remembers everything his mother told him to get but he forgets anyway?)
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Earlier this week I was frustrated when I asked him to go to the neighbors house, directly across the street from us, to ask to borrow their snow shovel. I repeated myself a couple of times and he, frustrated, even said he KNEW and said it back to me.
Later I found out that instead of going to the GRAY HOUSE, DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET from us, he went to the BROWN BRICK HOUSE, KITTY CORNER from us.
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Yesterday was just one more "Coffeekid" moment, but I admit I let it ruin my day and put me in a slump.
The night before he came into my room and asked if I had any "soap thingys"
Yes... soap thingys. This is pretty much how all teenagers talk these days though as his younger sister and all three kids friends' also put the word "things" into sentences where it doesn't belong.
"Soap thingys?" I asked.
"Yeah. You know... soap... uh, bars."
"Yes. We have bars of soap. You should have some in your kids' bathroom."
"I already looked. There aren't any."
(Knowing he was wrong, but not wanting to
go there I simply answer) "Ok. Check my bathroom. Um, first try the bottom drawer on the right hand side."
He disappears around the corner of my bedroom into the bath.
"Nope!"
"I know we have about 3 of them. Check the cupboard next to it then."
"Nope! I don't see any!"
"I know we had some. They can't all be gone already."
He walked into the bedroom.
"Well, it can be the other kind of soap too though. It's for school. It's this thing we're going to do with the soap. We'll put it in this one thing and then see how long it takes to ... well, anyway I can use the other soap too. Do we have any?"
"You mean hand soap?"
"Yeah! Hand soap. The kind in the pump."
"Yes. Use the pump from your bathroom. I think it's almost empty so refill it."
"OK."
"The refill soap is downstairs, under the sink in the main floor bathroom."
"Ok! Thanks!"
He gets to the door. I call out to him. "Hey!"
"Yeah?"
"Did you get that? Should I repeat it?"
"No. I got it."
He left.
So yesterday morning I got up and got ready to shower. We were out of bar soap. I went to the sink and opened the right side cupboard door. Nope. No soap. I opened the left side. Yep. Three bars.
Three. Bars. Right in front of me.
ARGH! THAT COFFEEKID! He looked exactly where I told him to look; the bottom drawer and the cupboard next to it. Directly next to it, which is the right side cupboard. Never occurred to him to open the LEFT side next.
I was gritting my teeth and rolling my eyes.
I came downstairs and was getting coffee when I spied, on the counter, the empty hand pump soap dispenser from the kids bathroom. It was next to the dish soap.
The DISH soap. From under the sink in the KITCHEN.
Yes, my child took the information I gave him; "The hand soap is under the sink in the main floor bathroom." and by the time time he walked down a dozen stairs and turned the corner he turned my instructions into; Under the sink in the kitchen.
And THIS would be why he had said to me "Mom, I don't think I need the soap until Monday, so can we pick up a bar thingy this weekend?"
Every white hair I have... I attribute to my husband and my son.
LOL.