Thirteen Year Old Eeyore

#1 has always been a bit of an Eeyore. You know, the sad, gray donkey from Winnie-the-Poooh. No matter what happens, even if it is good, Eeyore expects that it will end poorly. I used to say that if #1 got to go to the Zoo, the Circus, and a Movie all in one day, but stubbed his toe at 10:00 a.m., it would have been the worst day of his life. Now Eeyore is 13 and it has become even worse, or funnier depending which side you are sitting on. Not long ago, perhaps last week, he asked me if he is difficult to teach. I said, "When you don't focus and complain about why you have to learn any of this anyway, yes you are difficult to teach. But no you are not hard to teach things to. Why?" "All of my teachers sigh when they have to teach me." "What?" "When I have a question they moan or sigh when I ask it. They make comments like 'We would dissect, but SOME people can't handle it.' I just don't think any of the teachers like me." Now, granted I am one of his teachers and occasionally I do sigh when he comes with a problem, but never in class! Of the other 3 teachers, 2 are really good friends who love him like their own. Maybe they are sighing like I am! Last week after a fun Halloween Party, we got home to hear, "I don't think anyone cared that I was at that party." Why he would think that is beyond me, but think that he did. He has been acting that way for quite a while now, and I am about to the point of saying, "You are right. Nobody loves you. Nobody wants to be around you. You have no friends. Go eat a worm." I have refrained so far. This is so foreign to me. I expect to have fun. I expect that things will go well. I imagine that everyone likes me, because really, why wouldn't they like me? My neighbor calls me Miss Sunshine because I think the best of others and think they think the same of me. Sometimes I get the feeling that he doesn't think that way about me though, but then I move on. My neighbor is an Eeyore, too. I just invited all of the 11-14 year old homeschoolers over this Friday night for Capture the Flag and a fire. Want to make a bet that Eeyore thinks no one will come? I expect about 30 kids myself! I wonder how Eeyore's mother got him through puberty?