My son has stopped speaking to me. Not the adult son. The 11 year old. The one that pretty much relies on me for just about everything and monoploizes all attention has stopped talking to me whenever possible. When he does speak to me it is purely on an information and fact gathering mission.
Here are some examples from the five or six times he has directly spoken to me since yesterday:
What's for lunch?
What's for dinner?
So, is Alex buying that house?
What time are we leaving for Vermont?
I've been going back-n-forth with being totally annoyed with him ignoring my presence(and pouting like an 11 year old myself...) and totally grooving on the fact I am invisible and have caught a break from his incessant need to have 1:1 attention(and, again, gloating like an 11 year old myself...). Geesh.
God love her, The Other Mother is a realist.
When I complained and gloated all in one sentence she sighed and very patiently remined me that I needed to decide: "Which way do you want it? You can't have it both ways."
I can't? Why not?? Who says???
Being the big girl that I am, I pouted a little and ignored her.
rofl!
ReplyDeleteI am (not) surprised to see how much passive-aggressive behavior I can quickly pick up from being around Little Miss Passive Aggressive.
Sissy does NOT converse. Like ever. So perhaps it's a little nice to know that at some points he DOES converse with you? eh, that's week. I've got nothing.
ReplyDeletelol
y'all crack me up sometimes!
ReplyDeleteSimeon does this occastionally. I usually take let him have his silent times because it means a break for me, too. Of course, he's three, so they only last a couple of hours. Sometimes if I know what sent him deep inside, I'll try to draw him out, but it's pretty rare.
It seems to do him good to be silent and evasive once in a while.
Just wanted to stop by and say you two have the ability to bring a chic to blubbery tears of "DEAR GOD, HOW SWEEET!" in a matter of seconds.
ReplyDeleteThat is all. Now must run off to blow my nose.
Hmmmm....silent and evasive sounds so much nicer than pouting and ignoring!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love it!! I had a similar situation with my then-16 year old. Here's what I did... I ignored her back.
ReplyDeleteIt all started when she told me to stop talking to her and leave her alone. (She attended the same school where I taught, and this statement was made in the car on the way to school.)
I went so far as to ignore her breakfast order in the fast food line, and order her friend's food and my own. School food wouldn't kill her.
She told me to have a good day as we left the parking lot. I ignored.
She came to my classroom at lunch time and asked what was wrong with me, and I ignored her.
Then she went (really) crying to one of my teacher friends, who I had already told about our morning. My teacher friend walked her through the morning, and Dawn eventually figured out why I was ignoring her.
And she apologized. And has never said those words again.
At 11, you could have SOOOOO much fun with this. Don't set his place at the table. Or if you're serving, skip his plate. Don't do his laundry. Don't remind him to bathe, but the next day start spraying air freshener any time he walks by, while muttering to yourself about the weird smell in the room.
Or is that too evil?
You guys rock, and regularly make me smile!!! Thanks for sharing (and not shooting me for hijacking your blog!!)
You absolutely can be annoyed and grooving at the same time. Yes indeedie. That is your right as the Mom, and The Other Mother too! She doesn't have to decide either!
ReplyDeletePersonally I think enjoying the silence would out weigh the annoyed since chances are good this will not last. I mean, sorry, but it probably won't!
Lol...I have an 11.5 year old...and sometimes I wish hed stop talking to me. So, I can relate...instead of ignoring me, he has started the eye rolling..which makes me want to both laugh and pluck said eyes out.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDelete