Well, it’s a new day around this household. It’s the day, dawn, and era of higher expectations and higher accountability.
We are raising the bar.
Rye, you are now stable. Mom and dad, you are now officially the structured parents you never knew you could be – or really even wanted to be (but hey, that’s a different story for a different day).
Rye is now on the tightest routine and standard of accountability he has ever been held to. He has school, he has football, he takes his medicines, he does his homework, he goes to school on time, he has limited computer access outside of school, and he has limited unstructured time with friends outside of school. He makes very few of his own decisions.
And he is doing well.
The middle school years are hard. There’s no way around it. But he is getting in shape. Physically and mentally. He is developing a positive self image and identity. He is gaining self confidence.
I can see it.
And he continues to grow taller and taller. He is now over 5′10″. And not that this has anything to do with the aforementioned except that when your barely 13 year old child is bigger than most of the adults they deal with on a daily basis it’s of the utmost importance that they behave correctly and act responsibly.
Let’s hope for a great year to come.
2 Comments
I have been saying all year that my son, at age 9, is still physically smaller than me — but what happens in a couple of years when that is no longer the case? Scares me (he can be VERY physical when he is not stable). I am with you on this — the more structure, the better. It works for my son too.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Hartley
http://www.hartleysboys.com
I was just commenting to someone yesterday how normal of a life someone with Bipolar can have if they stick to a routine. Having a routine has helped me (even as an adult) tremendously. I even write my blog posts at approximately the same time each day. I can plan ahead for whatever is thrown at me much easier than living by the moment. I can see how it would even be more beneficial for a teenager, with school and football practice, so I completely agree. I’m glad to see through reading this that my routinized day has ME on the right track, too!