August 10th ~ Stubborn is as stubborn does...

My middle son can be found in Webster's Dictionary under the word "stubborn".

I love him dearly. He is a brilliant, over-emotional, very competitive, pre-teen.

I have no idea what I'm doing. Repeatedly bashing my head against the wall is starting to sound like a good option. Wait....I think I already do that.

You know how there are glass half-full and glass half-empty people? How does a glass half-full mom reach a glass half-empty kid? He's not an unhappy kid....he's just cynical and sees the negative before the positive.

I find myself snapping at him angrily when he digs his heels in and becomes unreasonably stubborn over every small thing in life. This is of course after first trying to lighten him up. I guess I probably become more angry with myself for being unable to reach him than I actually am with him.

He has a wonderful sense of humor, loves all body parts that make noise, has the biggest smile and best laugh (when he is relaxed and not fighting me over something). He's a spectacular student, and well behaved at the homes of our family and his friends (unless he knows the adult REALLY well....then he feel comfortable pushing them into a state of insanity with his stubbornness too).

I think it's a power play....a form of manipulation.....a way of asserting that he is different from his barely older, older brother. (They share a LOT of interests, friends and activities.)

I need to find him his own thing to excel in. I'm sure that would help. Perhaps if he just had his own space to shine in.....where no siblings are in his way to compete with......something that he discovers he loves doing.....

Wish me luck finding it. I'm open to suggestions.