One step forward, two steps back, or so it seems with Joey.  Not sure how to describe what is happening except to say that he has an almighty chip on his shoulder.  Not only does he still over-react, and in a nasty way sometimes, but he then blames the counter-reaction on everybody else.  We are all 'mean' to him.  He complains about everything, it seems, and never sees the positive.  And then complains that he doesn't have any friends.  The sad bit is that, most of the time, he is a great wee kid, and a wonderful playmate.  But he does not get it that other kids will not put up with his over-reactions and moaning.  Woe is me!  My life is awful!  You are all mean to me!

It does drive us nuts at times and Anne had a very difficult day yesterday. She gets the worst of it.  And, unlike me, she never gets to get away.

I had a chat with Joey in the car this afternoon about how important it was to be extra-nice to Mummy as she was tired and it was Mother's Day.  We picked up Anne from Lorna's, where she had had a very pleasant Mother's Day lunch, and were all driving home.  Joey asked what was for dinner and Anne told him bouillabaisse.  "Ugh, that's horrible!  Disgusting!'.  And it went down hill with Anne and I then at fault for being mean to him.

We are struggling to know how to get this negativity out of him.  people used to say that our home was a really happy one.  Not at the moment.  And we worry about the effect on Izzy.

We have also told Joey that, if this continues, then he risks Alex and Maury distancing themselves from him.