Psycho Envy

I feel bad that I left the last post up for so long without at least letting everyone know that life with our children has been a lot of fun lately. It seems that just when it all comes to a boil the pot is removed from the flame. We all adjusted. Beth and I try on our part to be more engaged, and the kids seemed to have lightened up as well. Jackson especially has been more positive and helpful.

Somebody, who shall remain unnamed, suggested that a little swat on the rear would have done the trick. No thanks. It's harder my way, and more frustrating, but the rewards are far greater.

We've got another situation brewing. One of the neighbor women -- I'll call her RB for Raging Bitch -- if you can believe this, covets our babysitter. RB has a son Jackson's age -- I'll call him SB for Selfish Brat -- with whom Jackson rides the bus. They used to go over to each others house for play dates and such. But once, last summer, while we were over at SB's house, some other boys came over and they ignored Jackson completely. Jackson cried so I took him home, over the protests of SB's father -- I'll call him Milquetoast -- who claimed that it was all just kid stuff and that they should just be left to work it out.

Lately the bitch, I mean RB, has been going around the neighborhood complaining that she can't get more time with the babysitter because she is always engaged with us. She used to come over and try to manipulate us into giving up some dates, even suggesting once that we really didn't need a babysitter, per se, rather it would be better to have a mother's helper. WTF? Once she tried to pressure me by complaining that she called the babysitter, that she was busy, then stared at me as if waiting for a response that would clear the situation up.

I said, "And?"

"And, uh, well, I mean, you're not doing anything wrong--"

"I know that. So what are you saying then?"

"Nothing, I, uh…"

You get the point. And this isn't the only time. Every damn time I see her we end up in a conversation about the babysitter. If we see them out, she asks where the kids are, and who's watching them. Even the babysitter complains about the scrutiny she gets about the time she spends with our kids. I'm telling you, the woman is psychotic. Now suddenly her son, SB, bypasses my son on the bus in the morning, where once they used to sit together. This same kid has always just stared at me when I ask him a question. On the Cub Scout campout, his father gave Jackson and SB laser pointers. About half way through, SB started to demand that he have both, and his father had that look on his face that he might ask for it. We would have come to blows before he got it back, but he must have sensed it. But that's the way it is. When that spoiled shit of a kid demands something, both parents would rather light themselves on fire than to say no.

This morning I walked Jackson to his bus stop. I told him not to bother with SB any more.

"Does he ever sit with you on the bus?"

"No, he walks by me and sits with (another kid on the bus)."

"Well, let's just stop going over to his house anymore. If he doesn't like you, then you need to stop trying to be his friend. You've had friends like that, haven't you, that liked you more than you liked them."

"Yeah."

"You don't want to be like that person do you?"

"No."

"You are a wonderful boy with lots of friends at school. If you had to name your top three friends, who would they be?"

He names off three.

"I notice that (SB) is not on that list."

"No."

"He's just convenient, isn't he? Do you really think he's a nice kid?"

"Not really."

"I think he's selfish and not a very nice person. You deserve much better than that, Jackson. Don't settle. How 'bout I call some of the parents on your list of friends and see what I can do about getting you play dates with kids you actually like."

"Ok."

"Just promise me you won't let (SB) hurt your feelings. He's not half the person you are."