Throwing in the towel

I quit. I don't think I'm cut out for this mom thing. I've got two kids who practically refuse to do their homework and are failing a few classes. Not because they are struggling. NOPE. Because they just don't want to I guess. Even the kid in Honors classes. Here's the catch...if he's NOT in Honors, he fails out because he's too smart for regular classes and becomes a behavior issue because he's bored. But in Honors, he just chooses not to do it. Go figure.

So I blow my top on both big kids (17 & 12) and turn into psycho mom ripping them a new one. Yet I continue to work on essays, which are now late. This is painful. How much easier would it have been to just DO YOUR DANG WORK when it was due. Then, no trouble. Ever. I would really have nothing to get mad at.

But then there's my 8 year old, who only accepts perfection. The teacher's pet. He brings home his diorama project, which he and daddy worked so hard on together and says "I got a 3" and then starts pouting. In elementary school, they give out numbers instead of letter grades, 1-4. 3 is basically as good as it gets. This specific teacher says she doesn't give 4's unless the child is doing work equal to that of a 3rd grader. So 3 means A.

And Mr. Sensitive decides that "everyone else's was better than mine." Of course, I know that no one said a word to him at school. It was a good project and they did a great job on it. But somehow, in his mind, it's not good enough. WTH? So I try, and try, and try to convince him his whole life that no one is perfect and we do not expect perfection out of him. He did his best and got a great grade. Why stress? He stresses over everything. Which makes him cry. If I haven't told you before, I LOVE watching him cry and throw a fit over stupid stuff. I do....NOT. It's the worst thing I've ever seen and I want to pull my hair out.

So I say, "Guess what? You're not perfect. Guess what else? You'll never be perfect. And guess what else? No one else is either."

It's true. But did he hear any of that? NOPE. He screams, and bursts into tears, "AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?"

Ummm...yes. Actually it was supposed to make him feel better. Instead, as he recounted to hubby later, "She called me a dummy." Wait, what? That was your interpretation? Oh my gosh. I quit. There is no winning with these kids. I have two that don't care and one that cares too much.

So, there. Where do I file for unemployment?