The Ring & The Rock

     Gabe called from the upstairs bathroom stating that Angel had left her ring on the shelf. I called back telling him to just leave it alone. About an hour later Angel went up there and called out that the ring was missing. I was annoyed. I was working on my homework for I class that I am taking and did not want the disruption. But Angel had her tattle tale voice on and I could tell that things might blow up if I did not move.
     I headed upstairs. Gabe was already getting into bed. "Where is the ring?"  
    "It was on the shelf," Gabe answered.
    "Where is it now?" I asked.
    "I don't know," he said.
     I was unconvinced. "Go get the ring." I said it a few times before Gabe finally got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom. He looked around aimlessly. Then he wandered back into the hall and began to look around there. Gabe likes small shiny things and has the bad habit of just taking what looks good. Just then Angel went zipping into Gabe's room and straight to her toy box. With in a few seconds she announced that she had found the ring.
    I scolded Gabe for lying and stealing. Then I went downstairs and had second thoughts. Angel found that ring so fast that it made me wonder. Angel, who is adopted, is also fetal alcohol effect. That means that her conscience does not work well. She has lied to us so many times. Maybe she was setting Gabe up just to see him get into trouble. It is so hard to teach these kids not to lie and steal. The lying and stealing is an issue with both of them.

   Now for the rock. Last weekend Dirk was planning to take Angel and Gabe to backpack camp with him. I would stay home with the baby. Gabe was so excited about going that he jumped out of bed and pulled something in his neck. It was just one of those annoying little cramps. Now Gabe became obsessed with the 'serious' injury to his neck. He felt he needed and ambulance to take him to the hospital. Dirk told him that there would be no ambulance. The choices were, stay home like the baby or suck it up like a man and go to camp. Gabe 'desperately' needed to go to camp like a man.
    We have lately been pointing out the differences between acting like a baby and acting like a man. It has been a bit hard on him as Gabe would like to act like a baby and be considered a man. You can't have it both ways. This baby nonsense has to go, so we have decided to call it like it is. The fact that there is both a baby and a man in the home have been helpful. He has made progress since that baby has been here. Maree is allowed to act like a baby, Gabe is not.
     Of course that did not stop him from whining  about his neck all day out at camp. When they got home the first thing Gabe told me was, "Dad got the rock out of my head. See?" he showed me his neck. I had no idea what he was talking about. As it turns out they had gotten so weary of listening to him whine that Dirk decided to see if trickery would help. First he massaged Gabe's neck to try to get the cramp out. Then he told him that he was going to pull the rock (pain) out. Gabe's neck still hurt where the rock had been. No wonder I can't get this kid into reality!