Mean Mom

I'm a mean mom. I try not to be, but I don't know what else to do. Today marks the 7th day in a row that Corbin has forgotten to bring his Word Study words home. His assignment is due on Thursday and it's a pretty time consuming homework assignment. Over the course of the last few days, he has had his DS taken away for a week, his beloved Pokemon game taken away for 2 weeks, no phone priviledges, he has to miss scouts tomorrow (obviously to finish his assignment), and I made him write 30 times "I will listen to my mother" and then 20 times "I will not forget my Word Study again" in one sitting. So this obviously isn't about just the word study. I guess it's the straw that broke this camel's back. He broke the news to me today that he forgot again with... a smile. A smile. My face just burned up. Yes, my hormones are in overload, but I had to just walk away from this. I came downstairs to be greeted by a backpack, a pair of shoes, and a lunchbox thrown on the floor. Steam began rising from the top of my head.... And then I cried. As I cried, I went through the daily questions: Where do your shoes go? What do you do with your lunchbox? Where do you put your backpack? Where do you hang your coat? I know he was expecting agitation from me, but my gasket blew and I was all waterworks. I know I shouldn't do this in front of my kids, but I felt like an absolute failure for not being able to properly teach simple concepts to a 9-YEAR-OLD.

Well, homework got finished and the only thing I haven't tried for a punishment was sitting in the corner. So I moved a chair to the corner of the kitchen and told him to sit down until I told him he could get up. That was 2 hours and 1 minute ago. Yes, he has been in the corner for 2 hours. I gave him a book to read and I gave him a nice supper on my best tv tray. I also opened a blind for him to look outside. I had a nice talk with him and he seemed to actually understand why he was sitting there. He did have a mild tantrum 42 minutes in and I almost caved. Almost. Yes, I feel horrible to doing this, but I feel like this punishment will be remembered more than a spanking or getting yelled at. I've had to leave the area here and there to cry some more because I felt bad, but then I had to remind myself that he wasn't tied down or gagged or starving or whatever. He was taking that pill that needed swallowing. Am I a mean mom? Probably. Do I love my son?! More than anything. But sometimes being mean is the only road to take.