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Don't want to go to school? No problem!

MissDirected's picture

Sorry it's long!

My SO and I have been discussing homeschool for almost a year now. He kept bringing it up for SD15, usually each time she was "sick" when it was time to go to school, which is weekly. I kept telling him that homeschool was not a good option for her (IMO) because she is a very social person and would not be around people every day, which is what she needs (if for no other reason than to learn to live amongst other people in harmony). And frankly because he makes her responsible for absolutely nothing and she needs to learn to be responsible - what's gonna happen when she has to get a job and just doesn't wanna go? Since February, DS14 has been getting strep every 60 days like clockwork. We have learned that he is carrying the virus and needs his tonsils removed. The pediatrician said he will be down a minimum of 3 weeks for this. Add to that, that my Mom is currently in hospice and I need to be able to go be with her as much as possible before she passes. This is not something the school will excuse of course and I can no longer count on SO caring for my DS while I drive an hour each way to spend time with my Mom, or go to my doctors appointments, since "punchgate". So for a few weeks I have been contemplating homeschooling DS for the remainder of the year so we could be with my Mom and get his surgery. DS had been begging me to homeschool him since we decided to move because he has such anxiety about being in new situations. He is very outgoing when he gets comfortable, but at first he's very much like me and will make himself sick worrying about people not liking him to the point where he shuts down and makes it more difficult for anyone to get to know him. I felt like it was important for him to socialize and have the HS experience. But now, our situation has changed.

Last Friday, SD had a stomach ache and couldn't go to school. This was the 4th day she had missed that week alone - and this was the 3rd week of school and she had missed 1-2 days each of the other two wks. Friday night, I asked SO what he was going to do about school with SD and he plainly said "She's homeschooling. She's officially a student of XXX homeschool."
....Um wait, WHAT??? You just did it? Without even discussing it with me at all? I mean this is your child and I don't expect to have a say in what you inevitably decide for her, but we are both raising kids of almost the same age together and I would expect to at least have a discussion before jumping! Especially since a week before I had just told him I was considering it for DS this year. Am I wrong here that there should have been a conversation?
Not to mention, she doesn't wanna get her ass up and do what she's supposed to do, so instead of making her be a teeny bit responsible, you REWARD her by allowing her to NOT go anymore?

So, over the weekend I decided to go ahead and homeschool DS as well. For the reasons I stated above, and also because I know the anxiety he gets being new and knowing we will again be moving (away from SO and SD) and he will go thru that over again. I didn't discuss with SO until after I had already made the call. He seemed shocked! He said he didn't want me to homeschool DS just because I thought it wasn't fair for him to have to go to school and SD not to. I told him it had absolutely nothing to do with fairness in this case (Although fairness is something we struggle with constantly and no, it would not be fair - but that is not the reason I did it!). He seemed angry because his daughter was no longer going to be the "special" one in the house or something? Or maybe it could also be because poor widdle SD is afwaid to be in the same car riding to school with DS because DS might kill her, since he's such a psycho abuser. He kept saying he did it because it was what was best for his daughter - because he doesn't want to parent her and make her get her ass up and go to school! I said "If you did it because it's best for your child, why wouldn't you think it's also best for mine?"

Since last week when I was told once again that I do nothing but criticize SD (by asking her to pick up after herself or tell her (very nicely) that she has an orange makeup line on her neck - something I'd tell anyone I cared about so they didn't look silly. I mean if you had spinich in your teeth you'd expect your family/friends to tell you and not let you walk around like that!) I have again disengaged from her. If I don't talk to her, I can't be accused of being mean or criticizing her, right? So I do not speak to her and if she speaks to me the conversations are quick and to the point. She has been trying to be nice to me and engage me. And even though I know for a fact that she is manipulative and selfish (She knows exactly which buttons to push to get her way. Laziness is her homeschool reason, but she's telling everyone it's because there are no nice girls at school to be friends with and she feels uncomfortable being around girls who cuss and talk about doing nasty things with their boyfriends all the time. But shouldn't she be encouraged to ignore this or find new friends because the world is full of people who are going to talk about things that are uncomfortable for you for the rest of your life, which is why you learn to find ways around them.). I also know it's the way she's been taught to be and it's really SO who is the bad guy here. He's been a total dick to me. He is apparently learning about dissengaing and is now disengaging from me, LOL! (Yet of course he still wants to sleep with me... Yeah, I don't think so buddy. I told him he treats me like a roommate and not a partner that he loves and I don't sleep with my roommates)
Neither of them speak to DS. And I just have to say how proud I am of the man my DS is turning into because he doesn't let their crap bother him at all. He often texts me (from his room) when he knows I'm feeling down and says "Don't worry Mom. What they do is of no concern to us. We're gonna be ok. We're just gonna do what we have to do to get out." I know it shouldn't bother me because I am not here for the long haul. But, it's really hard to live in a contentuoius household and feel comfortable even if it's only temporary. (And of course, he has no idea it's temporary. Which almost makes me feel worse because I don't want him to have any satisfaction in thinking this situation is ok since I'm "putting up with it".) Again, I know I shouldn't care... Just glad I have a place to vent!

And I apologize for the rambling ranting nonsense sentences. I am frustrated and have ADD and I tend to babble. LOL

Comments

DaizyDuke's picture

Your SD sounds like the worst candidate for home schooling... she has zero self motivation, and your DH doesn't seem to want to be bothered with parenting her so this is a recipe for disaster. But.. not your monkeys.. right?

Sorry about your mom, thank goodness your DS is such a sweetie. Hang in there!

MissDirected's picture

EXACTLY Daizy! Thank you!
This was my point to him for a year. Last night I said "Do you want to talk about homeschool?" "Well, how we want to handle it. What we expect of them. etc..." He said she already knows what I expect of her. She'll come to the office with me every day and do her work there. Period. And if she doesn't, that's on her." (So, I will be listening to him scream at the top of his lungs on a regular basis about how she doesn't do what she's supposed to do - yet he will never do anything to enforce it. Just yell.

Yeah... That's what I'm dealing with here! I had a talk with DS and said ok if we do this this is what I expect. You'll get up every morning like normal, get dressed and do your work before anything else. No sleeping in. No putting work off. Etc, etc. And he agreed that he would still be as motivated and responsible as he is currently in school. I have no concerns for DS. He's super bright and responsible for a 14 yr old. He is truly awesome and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Tuff Noogies's picture

yeah homeschooling is not good for some kids. this was the final straw w/ oss, the one thing that he used as his excuse to move to g-ma's to get coddled and pampered. they'd been talking about withdrawing him from public for some time, and every time dh said something about him getting a job he'd answer "yeah i know, i know." well, when he turned 17, dh allowed him to withdraw but put his foot down firmly that oss was NOT going to sit around all day with his thumb up his ass, diddling on his phone, and until he could land a secular job, there was puh-LEN-ty of work to be done around the house.

cue WWIII, with oss peeling out to skip to g-ma's. now the only time he contacts dh is when he wants something (one time about two months ago, cuz he wanted to re-enroll in public school, but a different one this time. UGH....)

your SO can screw himself, he's just taking the easy way out with her and not putting the parenting effort in. good luck on your exit strategy.

MissDirected's picture

He's gonna have to screw himself (if he wants to have a sex life) anyway! LMAO!

MissDirected's picture

No, she is in a facility.

Even if she weren't, I can't tell her what's going on. She's always been worried that when she & my Dad were no longer around that there would be no one "to take care of me". Even though I've always taken care of myself, she's old school and wants to know there's a MAN who will protect me and change the oil in my car & stuff. I swear she's been lobbying for me to get married again since the first divorce was finalized, for that reason! I don't want her to know anything's going on because I don't want her worrying about what's gonna happen to me in her last days.

notsobad's picture

It's great that your son is responsible and there for you. However I'd caution you about turning him into a mini husband. Sometimes it's too easy to over share with our kids and not even realize we're doing it.
They start to feel responsible for us and our happiness when they should just be kids.

I'm sorry about your mom, I hope she's not in too much pain and that the time you have left with her is filled with love and good memories.
I hope you can can get out soon and live happily ever after!

ChiefGrownup's picture

Yeah, my sd16 has all kinds of trouble appearance and hygiene wise. I never say a word unless it directly affects me. And even then I usually say it privately to her dad. If you want to compliment her one day on something good about her appearance that is an excellent and emotionally free (costs you no bile) way to earn some kind of Brownie point somewhere (with your dh or with the girl or just with yourself so you can know you don't criticize her all the time). Can't stand my sd16 but when I can I occasionally say something about her pretty blue eyes. At least we've got that.

MissDirected's picture

You know, I've thought of that approach, but the words just don't want to come out of my mouth! LOL! Especially since SD is constantly fishing for compliments! "Does my eye makeup look ok? I just love how long my eyelashes are. Do you think I'll ever have a boyfriend... I mean I know I'm not pretty." Crap like tat pushes me in the opposite direction. But, I guess I can force it. Not sure about it not costing any bile though. I can feel it welling up in my throat already! :sick: