some- days....

some days being a parent is just downright difficult ..and a parent of a teenager makes life that more challenging....discipline tactics that worked in the past no longer have an effect and suddenly you are at a loss of what to do................we received an email yesterday from Justin's teacher about his disrespectful behavior as of late in her geography class.....to say that I was upset is an understatement but I was not the least bit surprised.....his mood swings and mouthy behavior have been rearing its ugly head at home too....... but when teachers are now on the receiving end...things have to change....frustrated...I grabbed Justin after school in front of his friends and walked him into the principal's office demanding to see his teacher.....the look of panic on Justin's face made me sad but I knew I had to stand my ground letting him know that his behavior was unacceptable...he knows that he is lucky to go to a highly respected private school and can be thrown out at any point so his behavior is of extreme importance along with good marks.........humiliated and red faced...he apologized to his teacher before running to the car.....when I caught up to him...he was crying..and didn't stop the entire ride home...pulling into the driveway....he ran up to his room, crawling into bed and eventually falling asleep from emotional exhaustion....at dinnertime I woke him up to do his homework and I could see he was deeply hurt.....although my heart ached for him...I knew that sometimes in life you have to stand against your child to really fight for them.....he is grounded for the week with the ACDC tickets being held in limbo in hopes that his attitude will change....I am feeling like a bad parent today and guilty that I was so tough on him...but I am hoping that he will get my message....I love him enough to help him become the best he can be in life.....to most I am sure it may appear that I over-reacted but I am just trying to prevent a slippery slope of worse things to come......sometimes I just wish he was a toddler again...I miss that Justin.........