Mean mom takes a time out

Hello, I am writing this from time out, which is where I put myself a short while ago when I realized that if I didn't lock myself in a room somewhere I was going to start yelling at my kids. More than usual, I mean. It's okay, DH is home and is watching a movie with them in the other room. He is the Good Cop today.

I have just ordered the following books from Amazon.com:

• The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder (Revised and Expanded Edition) by Demitri Papolos
• The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene
• Asperger Syndrome And Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions For Tantrums, Rage And Meltdowns by Brenda Smith Myles

That last one is for the boy child, as you might have surmised. He isn't having a huge problem with meltdowns right now, but when I saw there was a book about that sort of thing, well, I had to have it. It will have to do until someone writes a book called Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: What to Do When Your Aspie Kid Is Driving You Insane and Won't Stop Tormenting His Sister and Oh Yeah, Here's How to Get Him to Stop Making That Noise.

The first two are for the girl child and were recommended to us by Dr. H. "Read these two books and see if either one sounds like her," he said, and so we will. Or more accurately, I will, and then I'll write DH a brief memo on the subject and we'll go from there.

I don't know if she's bipolar. I really don't. I'm really hoping not, because that sounds like it would suck. But she has very high highs and very low lows and it's not like her family history of mental health is all that spotless, poor kid. So it's worth looking into, I think.

On the second book, she IS very easily frustrated, but I don't think she's at all inflexible. If anything, she's overly flexible. She gets extremely bored with routine and is like the most spontaneous person you've ever met in your life. So I don't know about that one, but the good news is I bought it used for cheap.

So things have been fun around here lately! The boy child has been ticcing like crazy and we don't know why. His echolalia is out of control, and I can't tell how much of it is involuntary and how much of it is for the purpose of teasing his sister. I can believe that he would repeat what she has just said a couple of times without being able to control it, but when it goes on and on and takes on a teasing intonation after I've drawn his attention to it and told him to try to stop because it bothers her, I kind of feel like he ought to be able to step it down a bit. He's also been very huggy and affectionate lately, which together with the ticcing makes me think he's stressed about something, but he's either unable or unwilling to tell me what it is. It could just be the upcoming TAKS test at school, for all I know. Or it could be the full moon. Or the barometric pressure. Or the alignment of the outer planets. There's no telling with him, really.

The girl child is in a constant state of agitation because her brother won't leave her alone, because other kids at school speak to her in strident tones, because someone a couple of days ago looked at her funny, because her leg itches. With the boy it could be anything; with the girl it's EVERYTHING and I don't know how to help her.

And yet.

On good days, and during good moments, they are delightful. The boy child created an amazingly cute and pithy valentine box for his party at school tomorrow. The girl child told us over dinner about an idea she had for a huge collage of the world, with pictures of different geographical features blown up and others rendered very small, all fitted together to form a map of sorts. They played together wonderfully (loudly and boisterously, but wonderfully) all day yesterday after they came home from their sleepover with the grandparents. DH kept sending them outside because they were so incredibly loud, but I didn't mind the noise so much because it's way too quiet without them around.

Okay, so I think I'm going to go take a Midol and/or drink a martini and wait for my new books to arrive. But first, I guess I have to let myself out of time out. I certainly hope I've learned my lesson.