I went to Halley's house this morning so we could hang out with Mikaela, whom we minister to. I love them both but always feel a little stressed when I bring my kids to play dates like this. Mostly the twins. I prepped them in advance that saying bad words would earn them sitting in the car with me. At one point Nathan threw a bin of legos in frustration. When I asked him to clean it up he yelled, "No! Shut up!" Halley audibly gasped. Both of them looked at me as I picked him up and took him out to the car. We sat there for about ten minutes. We eventually talked about why he was in time out and he said sorry. He apologized to Halley and she forgave him. Later Zach was talking very loudly and Halley commented, "Wow, you must really want to be heard." I feel like so often our kids don't meet her / others' expectations and then I feel shame. But then I remember that they don't understand that some of our kids struggle with impulse control and how the ADHD brain works (there isn't that "pause" that other kids are fortunate to have that allows them to evaluate if something is a good idea or not). Halley is my friend and I love her but even those who fall in this category often don't get it and I feel a bit judged. Trying not to let it affect me. Trying to have hope that the boys won't be like this in preschool and get kicked out...and hope that they will make it to preschool with potty training. I've got two months to wrap that up. Wish me luck.
