[Electra375]

My 8 yr old is driving me crazy. He forgets things all the time, he does not listen, he just is in his own little world. And I"m getting irritated and frustrated with him.
Last night I asked him to bring me his broken retainer so I could see it. I looked at it and told him to put it on the bathroom counter and to put the unbroken top in his mouth. I assumed he had done this.
Now to this morning, bottom broken retainer is on the bathroom counter, top is no where to be found. He does not have it and does not remember a thing about bringing me both when I only asked for 1. He says it's on my desk, ha, I told him to put it in his mouth and he walked off with it to my false assumption that he was going to brush his teeth and put his retainer in.
I've searched every surface top in the house. I'm about to go climb up into his loft bed and search (7 months pregnant belly on a ladder going to a loft... might not be a good idea...) Maybe he did put it in, but took it out while sleeping -- I just don't know. He can't find his retainer case either or his jacket.
It isn't just the retainer, of course this one cost $$$... And it is taking the cake right now.
I ask him to pick up his clothes, they are still there. I asked him to put his shoes away, they are still there. I tell him to put his clothes away, it does not get done. His room is a disaster and yet he refuses to pick up the dirty clothes just for starters -- I CAN NOT in my condition bend over all day long picking up after a child who is fully able. I ask him to clean up the spilled toothpaste after he brushes his teeth, does not happen. I hear the reply "okay mom" and then find later, he didn't do anything.

:
I asked him to do something and 1/2 the time he either does nothing or does something completely different from what I asked.
Just frustrated... More money out the window -- just what we needed right now.

 

[Electra375]

$86 for each temporary retainer 1 top, 1 bottom... The look like invisaline and they are clear, nearly invisable.
That's $172 we don't have, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm waiting on a call from dh to tell him. And to see if he is just going to be frustrated or has an idea of just how we address this situation with our ds1 along with the other issues.
Do we just screw it and let the $3300 we've spent getting his jaw bite and palate corrected go down the tubes?
What kind of disipline (well consequence) helps a child learn responsibility?
The natural consequence would be to forget the retainers and let everything go... but that makes no sense for his health since the orthodontics was to enable him to eat normally, it was never cosmetic.
I'm really mad which does not help the situation.
I'm going to collect him from school so he can help look for the missing top. A single $86 is a little easier to swallow than $172. We have to go into the orthodontist today to get replacements or it will be another week with the Thanksgiving holiday. He can't go a week or his permanent retainers will not fit properly and those are even more $$ to redo!

 

[Electra375]

I'll just go on with my little saga for the day...
I found the top retainer on the living room floor under the edge of the couch. I placed it with the broken bottom on the counter of the bathroom.
I made an appt for 1pm to have them recast his teeth for a replacement bottom.
I picked him up from school.
I had him go to the bathroom, brush his teeth and put the top retainer in.
We left to get the younger from preschool.
We came home I had him put the top retainer on the counter of the bathroom to eat lunch.
He finished his lunch and I told him to go brush his teeth and put the top retainer in.
I walk up to the bathroom to get the bottom retainer to take with us and IT'S GONE NOW!!!
I am so freakin' pissed! The orthodontist needs the bottom to figure out if my son is at fault for it breaking or if the retainer itself is at fault - $86 versus nothing...
We had less than 3 minutes to find it or cancel the appt. I canceled the appt. I do not think my son is responsible enough for retainers.
HOW DO YOU LOOSE SOMETHING ON THE COUNTER THAT YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TOUCHED TO BEGIN WITH??????????

If I don't vent here, I'll end up taking it out on my kids with a raised voice and just not being a nice mommy. I swear I don't know what to do with my ds1! I'm just in awe of how something that was there, no one else has been in the bathroom and now he has no idea where it's at. HE said HE CAN THINK what happened!
Not to mention I'm not faced with an untidy house which will irritate me even more b/c I spent all morning looking for the lost retainer instead of sweeping, picking up, tidying, etc.
I'm just not a happy mommy right now, I'm rather mad and frustrated at the situation.