Time for another trip on The Rambling Train...As most of you know by now, my son Mike, has his own little apartment. (Oh, before I forget... he's going to be 19 THIS FRIDAY!!!)
It just so happens this little place he has is owned by my sister Gina... It's just a one room apartment... an efficiency. His rent is paid with the Social Security that he receives... My mom, actually takes care of that for him. He has a food card so that he can have groceries.
However... he also had been going to the farm during the week to "catch the bus" to get to school. (He's elected to go back to 11th grade so he can attend the "Tech" school to get a High School diploma from them in the course of Welding... I'll get back to this in a moment.)
Anyway, last week he had not gone to school 3 of the 4 days (don't forget, Monday last week was Labor Day, no school), only because he would not get up. (Being 18, it's been decided it's his choice to get up or not, she will not push him.) So... my mom said "That's it"... you're not coming back to the farm for at least a week. It's not the only reason... The other is, she couldn't "keep up" with him. Meaning he would make a total mess of her house. And to get him to clean up his mess is like pulling teeth... without Novocaine!!
Soooo... he calls me Saturday & wants me to take him to get food for his apartment. No big deal, right... well it wasn't too much until we were on our way back to his place when he realizes he forgot his pillows at the farm. I call Mom & nope, she isn't going to bring them to him. (I didn't think so!) I told him, I'd be over there the next day & I'd pick them up for him.
Well, when we got to his place I helped him upstairs with the bags & I had told him we were going to clean up the trash he has strewn all over. I did warn him though, if I got grossed out, I wasn't staying... Yep... I got grossed out... (It doesn't take much.)... So, I told him he is to pick up the trash & get it ready & I'd bring it back to my place for trash night on Monday. (That's TODAY!)
So... here's where the "fight" part comes into play... I did get his pillows from the farm Sunday. I had warned him, that if he did not have 2 bags of trash (HIS trash) ready for me to pick up, that I was not going to stop with his pillows. (I'm keeping them for ransom... payment 2 bags of trash... uh... sounds like I'm getting the raw end of the deal!)
I called yesterday around 1:00p.m. & he was still sleeping. Asked if he got any trashed picked up & he said he had gone to bed shortly after I called him the night before. (Which was about 6:00p.m. Saturday... I thought it was 10... but just looked NO... it was 6:00!! GEESH!) Anyway... at 1:00 I told him that I'd call back in a few hours to see if he was ready for me to come pick up some trash.
(Now, please... it would be something if the garbage was already in bags... but nope... it's all over the apartment floor... I am serious! He's lucky he has no critters running around. (at least I hadn't seen any signs... YET!) He's lucky all I have seen is them little pesky fruit flies.)
(Oh... yeah... I'm posting this here instead of on my private blog (R.E.D.) because I'd like some feedback from others.)
Back to the "pillow fight" though... I called him again close to 6:00pm on Sunday night (24 hours after he supposedly went to sleep on Saturday night... uh, I really find this easy to believe! LOL) & he said he was still sleeping. Ok... that's 24 hours he had been sleeping! ... I said, "Ok, I'm keeping the pillows." He whimpered a tiny bit & said. "Oh, ok." ... I told him I was serious... & I reminded him that he was to call Aunt Gina to let her know when he was ready to be picked up for school the next day.
(Since Mom kicked him off the farm, so to speak, someone needs to take him to school... because he's not in the area where the bus would get him.)
I got a call from Gina a little while ago asking me if I can take him to school tomorrow. (She'd pay for the gas.) He did make it today. (Whew!) Oh... she knows about the trash deal... though she has yet to see the place... I really think she'd be horrified... especially being the landlord... AND because there are 2 other floors (as apartments) to the house!!
So, with that settled, we had to get a hold of Mike to let him know what was going on. The stinker still had his phone off from being at school.
Finally I was able to reach him... but guess what... that's right, no trash ready yet! I told him then I will be keeping his pillows for at least another week. Unless he gives 2 bags of trash to me tomorrow... "No, I'm going to bed now."
I did tell him, he has the opportunity to get them back IF he gives trash to Aunt Gina this week. (She can take it to the dumpster at the farm. I do not want his trash sitting in my garage for a week! As I'm sure my hubby wouldn't either!)
So, he has been told and told and told and asked and asked to clean up his place... and I've offered to help several times. But nope, he still has a complete & total disaster. Now, mind you... he will be 19... yes, he's a teenage boy... & yes, he's on his own & of age... however... his "mind" is that of a 9 year old. (Or younger at times!) We suspect he has a form of Autism... so we HAVE to do things like hold his pillows for bags of trash ransom! It's the only way he is going to learn!
Now that you know the "whole story" (sort of) do you think I am right for holding his pillows "ransom"?
Or should I just cave in & let him figure it out on his own? 
Please also keep in mind, when I was his age, I became pregnant with him. (Well, actually, it was when I was 3 months from my 20th birthday!)... I think you get the point!
I know, I my apartment was unkempt when I was his age... but I KNEW BETTER not to throw food on the floor & leave it there for MONTHS! Actually... the only problem I had was with just paper trash & clothes all over. And I didn't wash dishes often.
I do still have trouble putting things away... however... there is no FOOD on the floors. (I hate pesky critters... unless they my 2 doggies! LOL)
Ok, I guess I best pull this train into the station... I will need to be able to hear the phone ring tomorrow at 7:15 a.m!
Oh... wait... that's the deal we've made with Mike... HE is to call to let us know he's ready. We are not to call him! That's just another lesson of responsibility he's being taught. If he really wants to get his diploma, he has to make arrangements. Since he's not allowed back on the farm... he has to make the call & so on.
Speaking of... this Tech School he's going to will NOT put up with him not showing up. This is a school that is trying to prep you for a job. They will only allow him to miss 10 days... & we believe it's for the ENTIRE school year... Well, he's already missed 4 already! (3 last week... & 1 the 1st week of school.) All because he didn't want to get up & go.
He says he really likes the classes & all... & he's excited about it... but he's not showing it in his actions! I do hope he makes it... however, I really think we should be looking at the alternative. Getting him on permanent disability... and finding him a place that can help him... an "assisted living" type of place.
Is there such a place like that for kids his age? He's still a kid to me!! As I'm sure I'm still a kid to my dad... & I'll be 40 (eeks!) in March!!!
Ok... someone please reach up & pull that emergency brake! This train is speeding out of control!
For any new readers... Now you know why this is called.... THE RAMBLING TRAIN!!!
