hurmph

Still feeling under the weather, not so much sick anymore as just miserable, grouchy and tired ( no smart comments about that is the way I normally am). The boys also have the cold so we are going through tissue around here like it is going out of style. But we shall survive.

Things have been busy, there are lots of scouting things going on and school seems to be demanding a great deal from the boys as teachers try to get the last of the marks they need to have for report cards next month. It is wearing thin for the boys and they are showing their displeasure with the amount of work by beating up on other kids for looking at them sideways.

They are a bit of a force when they gang up on someone else, I wouldn't want to be the one getting hit. That being said I certainly am not encouraging the behaviour but am at a bit of a loss when it comes to getting them to stop. I think that the school should be doing something and they are not really doing much at all except lecturing them. That is bit like lecturing a puppy not to chew, it is what they do, they aren't going to stop just because you say to. The boys will defend one another at all costs because one another has been the only constant in the last 3 years of their lives.

Yesterday I got called in to talk to the teacher after school ( never a good sign) both boys were in trouble for various things. Then it came out later that they had also got in a fight with another kid at recess but didn't get caught ( he is a bit if a bully as was probably just as guilty so he didn't tell). We feel strongly that aside from talking about behaviour things that happen at school need to be dealt with at school otherwise the boys will always be in trouble. Yesterdays events were fairly serious and yet nothing was really done, standard school consequences but they seem to be willing to give the boys a break because of who they are and what they have been through.

So they spent yesterday afternoon playing separately until dinner and then once P was home we spoke to them each on their own about what had happened and about respecting other peoples space and such. It went well with Fudge, not so much with Calvin and surprise, surprise Calvin really didn't want to go to school this morning. Yes we have talked about home schooling as a piece of the solution but Calvin really needs to learn to be socially appropriate ( I know there are other ways to do that as well), Fudge loves school most of the time and I don't know if I am up to it.

I am at a bit of a loss, anyone out there got any creative ideas for getting kids to stop hitting?