What a Mom Knows

We've been having some issues with C and his musical instrument practice. Pretty much par for the course, I suspect.

C plays the French horn. He's decent. Not wonderful, not awful. He could be very good with more practice.

We bought C a nice new double French horn last spring after he pretty much begged for it for months (and his teacher said it was time to move up). It was...pricey. And C had to sign a little contract with me saying that if we, his parents, made this effort and investment, he would commit to it and practice without argument. Yeah, right.

Anyway, C is home alone for several hours after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last night, since it was M's birthday, he didn't get to practicing. He said he'd practice double today. Okay, fine, I said.

When C arrived home today, he called. I reminded him he needed to practice double. He said okay.

When I arrived home, I noticed his horn and backpack by the back door, like they had just been dropped there. I asked if he had done his homework. He said no. I asked if he had practiced. He said yes.

To say I was suspicious is an understatement.

"Then why is your horn here?" I asked. He practices in the loft in the study. He said it was because he has band tomorrow and he needed it to be ready for morning. Uh-huh.

This is a kid who, in the last year, has lost the ability to do anything in advance. He hasn't brought his backpack downstairs and gotten it ready for the next day on his own ever. He has become incapable of picking up his clothes off the bathroom floor. He leaves the milk out. And I am supposed to believe he took his horn to the loft, practiced for 45 minutes, and brought to down again, putting it right next to the unmoved backpack by the door?

I said, "I don't believe you."

He tried to argue, but it was pretty half-hearted. He wouldn't admit to lying, but he wasn't pushing back particularly hard, either.

"You'll practice another 45 minutes after dinner," I said. He tried to argue again. I told him, "If you didn't practice, you'll get your practice in. If you did, it will just be extra." He was annoyed, but not mad.

After dinner, while I got S and M to bed, C practiced again. He sounded okay. Strong. He definitely can use more practice for some faster parts of the music, but it wasn't bad. I still don't think he practiced this afternoon, though.

After practicing, just before bed, I asked to speak to him. He still tried to claim he'd practiced in the afternoon. I told him, "If you are lying to me, you know you are, and you know it's wrong. You do."

Then I sent him off to bed. Nothing like a little mother-induced guilt to go with his REM sleep.