#1 has had interesting behavior today. On occasion, if I do not get to him with his meds before he is fully awake, he will balk at taking the meds. Those days, which are fortunately few and far between, typically end up in a struggle of wills between the two of us. They always occur on his manic days, and it is not uncommon for his behavior to escalate into violence. That is the down swing of bipolar disorder. When people who suffer from it are having extremely good days (which is in their mind and always on the manic side of the bipolar) they don't think they need the meds any more. They can't see the behavior and manifestations of manic tendencies as those around them can. This morning ended in my having to throw water into #1's face to snap him out of his manic behavior long enough for me to get the meds into him. After that I instructed his brothers to stay as far from him as they could until the meds kicked in and bring #1 back down to baseline. Thankfully I got thorough this morning without the typical scratches and bruises that accompany these mood swings. I can't count the times I've had to reassure people in the past that the black eye I was sporting did not come from Hubby. People with no understanding of mental illness have no comprehension of a mom being beat up by her 9 - 14 year old child while trying to get medication into him.
All I can say is thank God the episodes are decreasing. #1 is almost the same height I am now, and it won't be long before he is bigger than I. If and when these episodes happen then I'm not sure if I will be able to handle them. Hubby has instructed me to call the police if necessary, but I honestly don't want to have to do that unless I feel than it is a serious threat to my well being. There is no doubt in my mind that during the worst of the episodes a few years ago, had he been bigger than I was, I would have come out of it with more than a black eye and a few cuts.
I've been drying apricots all of yesterday and today. My house is permeated with the scent of them, and the kids and I are all enjoying it. All of the boys have been making excuses to walk through the kitchen a few times a day, and grab a snack from the dehydrator. I think I'm coming out about equal with the amount they are eating. I also found that at some time during the night, one of the boys (I suspect #1) got hungry as this morning there was an entire tray that was empty sitting in the dryer. I have a hunch when it comes time to do apples I won't break even; all the kids go nuts over dried apples. Their enthusiasm will drop off when I do tomatoes and onions though!
I need to go sign up for math next term, but I'm holding off as long as I can. The next term doesn't start until August 9, and I enjoy seeing the money in the bank for as long as I can! I also need to start going over everything from the first two calculus classes. I haven't looked at math other than my check book since I had to drop the class last April. Saying that I'm rusty doesn't begin to describe it! My mind is still in History mode, with threads of English and Computers hovering around the edges. With luck though, once I start going through it, everything will come back quickly.
A girl can hope can't she?