What is wrong with my children.............

First off let me say that Zachary's 5th grade year has turned into a nightmare!! I am at my wits end with what to do with him. He doesn't care about anything this year. He doesn't care about his grades, he doesn't care about being grounded, he doesn't care that he is in trouble everyday of the week. He won't bring his homework home. He constantly leaves his text books at school. He doesn't tell me he has tests nor does he bother to study for them. Found out at 8:00 last night that they had a science test last Friday. Apparently the class overall made such bad grades(Zach made a 68) that the teacher was kind enough to give them a make up test today. Did Zachary bother to tell anyone that? NO!! Did he bother to bring home his work to study? NO!! Did he bother to study at all? NO!! Not until I found out about it at 8:00 last night and then he had to study until 9:45 before he finally learned the 9 vocabulary words. This grading period he has to read (3) 150+pg chapter books. It took him 6 weeks to read the 1st one. He now has 17 days to read the other 2 before the grading period ends. And he acts likes it's all no big deal. When he got done studying last night and finally got in the bed. I had a long, serious discussion with him for about 20 minutes. He didn't say a word. Didn't get upset at all................until I turned his tv off!! Then he cried!!!!!!!!! What??? He didn't cry because I was getting onto him. He didn't cry because of school. He didn't cry because I told him if he didn't start taking school seriously that he wouldn't be playing basketball this year. He only cried because I turned his tv off!! What is wrong with this picture?

Then there's Troy...............Troy was the biggest goof off in his game last night I could have screamed. In the outfield dancing, playing, picking up grass, spinning around, his coach telling him to pay attention every time someone got up to bat............you name it - he did everything except play baseball. I have never been so ready for a game to be over in my life!! I told him last night (along with my discussion with Zachary) that I wasn't going to watch another game like that. There is absolutely no excuse for the way he has been acting in his games. It is childish nonsense. If he is going to play baseball then he needs to play baseball. This is not recess!! Otherwise he is just wasting our time and money.

At any rate, I think someone has taken my good, sweet boys and switched them with somebody else's kids!! I hope this behavior is just a phase - and a short lived one at that. I might have to start taking some medication!! HA HA!!!