My Beautiful Boy

Corey has had a bad back for the last three weeks or so and last Friday wouldn’t go to school because his back was sore.  He has started playing football (Aussie Rules) and basketball so I don’t know if he’s done something while playing footy or basketball.  So on Friday I took him to a chiropractor and although his back still hurt for the rest of the day, it seems to have been ok ever since.

On Sunday they have their football game and during the game Corey got tackled and thrown to the ground and he hit his head on the ground.  So on Monday he didn’t want to go to school because he had a headache.  I don’t know how much of it was real and how much of it was him just not wanting to go to school, but I let him stay home anyway.  Lachlan is also  home this week sick with a sore throat and cold which doesn’t help trying to get Corey to go to school when another one is home.

So yesterday (Tuesday) Corey just wouldn’t go to school.  He was in a foul mood all morning and would get really angry over silly little things like not being able to get his lid on his lunch box.  So after a foul morning, he just flat out refused to go to school.

Corey’s class has a camp coming up and they have a strict behavior policy when it comes to camp so because of his behavior recently he has been put on a chart and has three chances.  If he gets three strikes then he doesn’t get to go on camp (there are a couple of kids on the same sort of thing).  Strikes include when he doesn’t go to school for no reason, so yesterday he got his first strike.

Now this morning he just refused to get out of bed.  Why????  Because he was scared of getting in trouble at school for missing three days.  No matter how much I tried to explain to him that the first two days were for medical reasons so he wont get in trouble, he just couldn’t get passed the thought of possible trouble.  I explained to him that yes he does have one strike but that is it, he wont get in any further trouble than that, but his anxiety over returning to school was quite high.  Then I tried explaining how if he doesn’t go to school today then he will get himself in trouble and that the longer he leaves it the worse it will get.

Then Dad tried bribary.  Dad has a motorbike and Corey loves motorbikes so Dad tells him that if he goes to school he might buy him a helmet so he can go for a ride with him.  You have no idea how much I struggled with this as I hate motorbikes, I hate my husband having one and I hate the idea of my kids going on one.  And beside the fact that I hate motorbikes and really don’t want Corey getting on one, there is also the fact that I think it is extremely unfair on the other two kids who go to school every day and they don’t get rewarded like that.

Anyway, Corey finally went to school with the thought that he might get a helmet and even one day his own motorbike.  So this is something I will need to discuss with my husband as I’m not willing to buy a helmet just as a reward for going to school today – then what happens next time he doesn’t want to go to school, does he get another reward if he goes.

What about Ben, my oldest boy, he goes to school every day.  He is doing great at school and is captain of their house team at school as well as being ‘Fit to Lead’ leader.  He has taken on a few responsibilities at school and is doing great – shouldn’t he be the one getting rewarded for these great things that he is doing???

So as much as bribing Corey to go to school might work on the day, is it really fair???  And is it going to help long term?  Perhaps it needs to be if he goes to school every day for the rest of the year or even the term, then he might get a reward.  I don’t know, this is one I need to think about and discuss a bit more I think.

Anyway, at least he’s finally at school, even if he did get there late.  Poor little Lachlan is still home sick though

Thanks for reading
Sheryl