An Insolent Child, Part II: Is He Rude or Just Clueless?

One time I volunteered to take my son’s friend to a birthday party that they were both invited to (a different little boy from the one in Part I). Boy was that a BIG mistake! It was the most embarrassing two hours of my life. At one point this friend used a plastic fork to pop balloons, after which he would laugh maniacally. He ran around like a chicken with its head cut off and wouldn’t listen to any of the mothers. My son, on the other hand, was a perfect gentleman. I was torn! If the crazy kid were my child I would have left the party with my tail between my legs. Yet, my son was having fun, and I didn’t want to detract from that.

At the end of the party, the host mom wanted a group picture. The insubordinate child wanted to sit next to the birthday boy for the photo, and he was willing to push everybody out of the way in pursuit of his goal. I had to pick him up and drag him crying from the room. Needless to say, he missed the picture.

We finally made it to the end of the party, and I couldn’t wait to drop him at home. I told his mom that he might be upset about not being in the group picture, because he wouldn’t cooperate. She told me not to worry and that he probably wouldn’t even remember it. Excuse me? What about an apology to me? What about a promise to talk to him about his disobedience?

At the time his mom had a lot on her plate (won’t go in to detail), and was unaware of his repeated behavior problems. He generally wreaked havoc at any social gathering. An infraction of any magnitude was given minimal attention. What’s the deal? Lack of observation? Total denial? Probably both, but it’s not as simple as that…

Someone finally got through to her! I’ve just recently learned that he’ll be evaluated for some behavior issues. I’m hoping that early intervention and the love of his family will help him become the sweet, nurturing boy that his mom mistakenly believes he already is, and may still actually become.