Moan Moan Grumble Grumble

When I taught English as a foreign language I was driven bored to distraction trying to explain the same stuff day in day out. I tried to vary the poison by asking as many personal questions as possible of my adult students to make it relevant to them, and add a smidgen of interest for me.

I have long since given up teaching English, to my ever-present joy, but I find myself repeating words to my eldest in much the same fashion, such as:

• your attitude is your decision
• you decide to be bad-tempered
• why be difficult when you can be pleasant
• you live in a family, not in isolation
• complaints to the chef can be hazardous to your health (jk)

Day in, day out, practically the same ideas expressed in tones which vary according to how much at the end of my tether I feel. It gets very wearing and extremely boring, but he has a destructive streak which really impinges on his normally happy, agreeable self. I wouldn't like to say who he takes after with that, but it doesn't come from MY side of the family (natch!).

I'm clinging desperately to the belief that repetition is the key to positive messages being drummed into his head relentlessly and that they will bear fruit eventually although I may have to wait until he's a young adult (*anguish!*).

All is not bad, however, as he is, for much of the time a very lovely boy. It's just around mealtimes that he is beset by the devil. This takes the form of systematically complaining that he doesn't like the freshly-cooked food on offer, that he doesn't like doing the minor chores I request of him, and that he doesn't want to do his violin practice.

Do I really have another 8 years of this?

I reckon!