High Crimes

We had plans today to go down to our church's Good Friday service at noon, meet with Lucky's social worker, and then go to the beach for the afternoon. Our plans were blown when Ana called the court recording to find out that she had to report for jury duty this morning. I told the kids we had to nix our activities for the day (we're down to one car) but we might still go to the 6pm service because we had to pick up Shorty this evening.

Squeaker slammed her door in a snit angry about having to go to "stupid church" when she wanted to go to the pier. I should have just left it at that. She might have escalated on her own anyway but I should have walked away. Why didn't I just walk away and let her throw things at the walls. Why must I always say something about door slams? Stupid, stupid. {smacking forehead against table}.

Things happen, I explained. Yeah, because some stupid criminal has to ruin my life by getting caught so that Auntie has to have jury duty, she says. (Huh?) Why are you making it about you? It's not really about you. Stuff happens and you deal with it. That's it. Why don't you stay up here and calm down and come down in a bit?

Whoa, duck and cover! Slamming, head banging, throwing stuff. Inevitable personal attacks. Trotting out oft repeated arguements about being blamed for everything. Angry exclamations: "I'm sick and tired of being punished because of other people!" Again, huh? Apparently some idiot criminal did actually go out and commit a crime and get himself caught so that he would have his day in court so that Squeaker's auntie would get jury duty on this day. Why? Just so that Squeaker could NOT go to the beach when she wanted to. Who knew?

When I texted the day's update to Ana at the courthouse she replied that she was reading an old Newsweek article on pediatric bipolar (magazines in the jury room a year behind, I guess). In children with bipolar disorder there is too much activity in the amygdala (regulates emotions)and not enough in the frontal cortex (rational thought). Sounds about right to me.