Middle Boy was having trouble with anger management today after school.  He came home irritated.  When I asked him about it he said "I don't want to go back to the juvenile center, but I really feel like punching someone at school."

We talked a lot about it.

As time went on he became more and more agitated about the whole thing.  Babysitter J arrived and he was really having a tough time so I decided to stay home for a while until the anger was diffused. 

Middle Boy and I sat on my bed and talked about what was bothering him.  He is frustrated by a lot of things in life, but mostly by the restrictions his probation has put on his life.  I sympathize with it, but at the same time am very aware that the consequences of his actions need to be a part of the bigger picture.  He has a hard time understanding that the stay in the juvenile center had nothing to do with the consequences, but rather was just a holding place until the consequences could be figured out.  Is that fair?  No, but it is what it is.

It only took him about 15 minutes to diffuse to the point where I knew he was fine for the evening.

Prayers for anger management at school.