On Forcing Ian to be Successful in School

I love college bookstores and office supply stores; they both carry useless products deemed to make you finally organized, successful, happy and sometimes lose weight. I buy lots of these organizational products for Ian since I am convinced, even after 14 years of Ian, that if he just becomes organized he will be happier, get better grades and comb his hair.

I have taken to rifling through his pack when he's not home. I have a very good reason for "invading upon his privacy" (his words), I want to make sure he doesn't forget to turn his homework in. This is not working since he keeps telling me he doesn't have any homework because he gets all his work done in class and I can't find anything in his pack. All his papers, whether they are graded or informational ones from his teacher or small bright yellow slips that allow him to show up late....end up wadded up at the bottom of his pack. Last night I pulled a handful of mess out and started smoothing them out on the floor (remember, we don't have a table) and he walked in. I ignored the fact that I was "snooping" (again his words) and in a kind motherly voice, asked if he wanted me to go to the college bookstore and buy colored folders, colored notebooks, colored pens and these really cool colored teeny tiny sticky notes to help him stay organized. He informed me that when I do things such as that he only gets more disorganized. He may be right. Ian is the kind of kid who can find his clothes only if they are scattered on his floor, not in his drawers (when he had drawers.) He can find his latest project only if it's stuffed under his bed (when he had a bed) not displayed in an organized manner on the shelves in his former room that I insisted he have.

We have a plan for his new room - it will consist of the following: a bed on the floor, a standing lamp and a closet. That's all he says he wants and I'm good with that; this will give me at least $150 more to spend on the house we will never be able to afford or borrow money for until someone burns down our home in Granby.

His older brother Jordan is very organized and neat, in fact most of Jordan's teenage years we all spent calling him a girl because he does have those qualities. This has allowed Jordan to do well in school, travel to foreign countries and become a fire fighter, okay, maybe not the last two but my point is, is that's it's amazing that two kids can have the same mother and father and turn out so differently. But let's be honest, Jordan is like Mike and Ian is like me - bless his soul.