Ten-Year-Old Boys

What an interesting creature a 10-year-old boy is. He can be so helpful and pleasant one minute and so completely beyond irritating the next.

Daniel does exhibit some promising previews of the responsible young man he's likely to become, but I'm not sure he'll get the chance to prove himself! I'm a little worried that there is an important piece of hardware missing from his brain. You know that one little bolt that secures the "past experience memory" to the "make a decision now impulse?" Totally missing from his system.

For example (Daniel, this is for you to read in the future and give some appreciation for parents who miraculously got you to adulthood. And remember this when you have a son just like you...I pray you do!):

Daniel cannot leave people alone. I yell, beg, plead, implore, threaten, cry (not really, but I want to), punish, admonish and glare, hoping that he'll STOP before he makes someone else scream again. Even after a prolonged time out, he's right back at it. I really don't think he can help himself. Even while the person is shouting/screaming "Stop!" at the top of their lungs (I really love that sound echoing off the walls), he can't stop.

Daniel is S.L.O.W. Apparently, he is stopping to smell the roses of life. Or he's just sitting there while he waits for his brain to form a message and eventually send it off to the right receptors. Just this morning I was dropping off the 4 oldest at a Primary activity. Daniel sits in the seat that must be flipped up to let the back row of passengers out. Every other door of the van can be open, except for Daniel's. He's still in his seat belt, staring out the window, assessing the situation before he commits himself to it. IT DRIVES ME NUTS! You can probably guess who is putting their shoes on while everyone else in in the car, ready to head out.

Daniel can't put anything away...even with the threat of losing it for good. Oh, wait. That's a family problem.

But lest you think Daniel is all bad news, I should share some great things about Daniel (just to ease my conscience).

Daniel is a GOOD kid. He's not an angel in church (my apologies and condolences to his leaders), but I can trust that he will make good choices while he is away. He is kind to others at school and respectful to his teachers. He responds extremely well to praise and can be a great helper.

Daniel is starting to see things that he can do to be helpful and doing them. Just last week, Daniel got Sarah out of bed, found some leftover baby food in the fridge and fed her breakfast. No wonder I got to sleep longer!

Daniel can prepare and present an awesome FHE lesson, complete with scripture references and questions relating to the stories/topics.

So there are things about Daniel that make me want to tie him up and hang him upside down from a tree, and there are things that nearly bring tears (of joy) to my eyes. The crazy thing is, most people I know with a boy this age are having the same experiences. The fact that there are any men at all in this world is a miracle (because I hear teenage boys are worse than the ten-year-old crop)!