Back to School Routine, Munch did Not Cope Well.

This morning started off well enough, Munch got up in a good mood, he tried to say that he was feeling sick, but mummy knew better, especially as he ate all his breakfast.  Munch was happily writing at the table and got ready for school no problem at all.

After school was a different matter though, whether it was the fact that we have had a very odd few weeks and then going back into the routine of school I don’t know but when we got in we started his reading, he was very unco-operative, he was missing words,  reading in gibberish, pretending not to know words that I know he know’s very well. So I just shut his book and said that if that was the mood he was in there was no point in carrying on and I would just write in his book just that, start of the pleading, ‘no mummy, I will read’, so second chance given, no change, so I stopped. Munch now started pushing and getting aggressive so it was – Step, he was pushing and trying to bite me so I just took him to the step and tried to put me and the dog into the living room out off his way, he dived into he living room and when I told him to go back to the step, he said no, I just manoeuvred him to the step and said his 7 minutes would start when he was on the step. I had to stand with my back to the door, he eventually got the message and went and sat on the step and did his time.

After his time up, he did wanted to read and did finnish his reading, if not as well as I know he can, as well as could be expected given his mood. I do write how he has read in the book though, and did say to start he had been uncooperative.

His mood continued he was being very contrary, wanting, then not wanting, jus being very whinny and trying to control situations all evening, I had ordered new ice boots for him as his one I had bought were to big and wanted him to try them on, he put on a big show of not being able to get them on, whilst making no effort, I was not being drawn in, so just said to leave it for now, and as we were putting them down, he accused me of strangling him, in a very aggressive tone, so he know’s this is wrong and was sent to the step, he immediately tried to change not what he had said but how he had ment it, but blaming people for things means the step, so step it was.

After his second sit on the step Munch seemed to have calmed a little, he tried on his ice boots, and then went to watch TV, which he did quietly until dinner. A dinner we had an incident where he knocked some of his food on to the table, you would have thought he had lost the lot by the way he carried on, he wailed, he wasn’t eating anymore, stropped away from the table, a complete over reaction, I just talked very calmly and we put the food back onto his plate,took off his cloths as they had gravy on and we managed to finish dinner in a civilized way!!

Munch went back to watching TV whilst I got his karate gear ready, I spoke to him whilst he was watching Tv, and again he shouted aggressively that he was watching TV, so he got sent to the step again as he is not allowed to talk to people like that, and just writing this down has made me remember, that the one thing our play therapist had us doing when things were bad and it worked quickly was  – your being rude with your voice – that’s not allowed – STEP, and your being something with your body – that’s not allowed – STEP. Can’t remember the wording we used so will have to get out my note-book and look it up and go back to it as it worked a treat before, and we have found that it is better to get on top of this behaviour then let it take hold and get out of hand which it can quite quickly.

After that karate went well, home and his usual TV before bed, story and he asked for snuggle time and cream time tonight, so 5 minutes before lights out we did snuggle time which consisted of doing This Little Piggy, and Round and Round the Garden so a bit of regression needed tonight, then a lovely massage with his special cream, so nice and tactile.

One thing that I have not mentioned for a while is that we still have the constant calling down each night for a good 1-2 hours, tonight it was only for 1/2 hour, so maybe the nice relaxing massage helped just before light out, so will try this again.

Another Week Begins

Well twice this morning Munch came knocking on the bedroom door well before getting up time, he has been told that if he does it tomorrow there will be no TV when he gets up, so we will see what happens tomorrow. Rest of the morning went ok, had one session on the step for talking rudely, but apart from that, he was safely deposited at school.

Munch was in a good mood when I picked him up from school, when we got home I noticed that he had brought his reading book home, so will be making sure that he does tomorrow, I asked him to play on his own for 1/2 hour which he did, he had a couple of time outs for speaking rudely, then it was time for us to go and do special play time, Munch chose to play Junior Monopoly again which we did for 3/4 hour, I set an alarm so that Munch knew that once it went off I had to go to do dinner, this worked very well and there was no delaying tactics from Munch what so ever, so I think hat I shall adopt the alarm method again.

Munch played Mario Karts on the Wii for a while then went on the computer whilst I was preparing dinner. Someone came to look a the insulation in our loft whilst I was doing dinner, so I had to go upstairs with them, Munch played up a fair bit, he needed help when he didn’t, could not find thing’s that he knew perfectly well where they were, he created a big fuss because he couldn’t draw what he wanted to when in fact he had just scribbled on the paper, all to get attention, I just told him I was busy and he would have to manage on his own for a moment. Once they had gone Munch was fine, I did have words about his behaviour whilst they were here.

Dinner ended up being late, so bath was late, Munch had his telly afterwards, then we had a lovely story, snuggle time and massage with Munch’s special cream.

 

So Begin’s The Week

This morning Munch was still asleep when I go up so I left him in bed for a while. The morning was very pleasant and we got to school all in good spirits.

After school we once home we did Munch’s reading, he was not in a cooperative mood, so I told him to read it as he wanted to and that I would just write in the book how he had read, he was mumbling his words, saying them very quietly, missing out whole lines and making out he was unable to read some words that I know he know’s, I just did not rise to it and told him again what I was going to write, half way through, he gave up and read well, no point not reading well when it is not getting you the attention he wants. I wrote what I said I was going to in his book, which will be a good deterrent in future as he does not like to look bad at school. Reading finished we did some subtraction’s which he did well and some spelling’s which I myself have decided to start doing with him as his spelling is appalling and I feel that he needs help, so I am going to start off with 5 words a week and see how we go.

Once all that was out-of-the-way we did Munch’s special time play, this is where we play what Munch wants to  do, and I do what he wants, he is totally in control, the theory is if we give him this time of control, he will feel less like he has to try to take control at other times. I had on the request of the play therapist I had bought Munch a tube of Lego today to add to his already very large collection of Lego, Munch had spotted this so wanted to play with it, I took my lead from him and built what he asked me to, whilst building himself, he kept getting very annoyed with himself when things were not going as he wanted them to, he started hitting himself and saying he was an idiot, I kept saying to him he was doing really well, that the good thing about Lego was that if it was not right you can change it and build it stronger, we had a few episode, but with lots of reassurance he got through them, they were all direct at himself. When we had finished he carried on playing with the Lego on his own.

Tea, bath, and bedtime routine went well, I sat on Munch’s bed and he cuddled in whilst having his story and he asked for 5 minutes snuggle time afterwards which I gladly did, we did our cream after that, lots of massaging in his cream, lovely hug and kisses, wow, lots of positive touch this evening, and one happy mummy.