Struggles

Des was complaining about his most recent sentence for running in the halls. He has to do the Wedding March for two days and wear a sign that says don't run in the halls. While we talked about whether or not this particular sentence was "really stupid and mean" he said "How harsh a punishment would I get if I got suspended?" After 6 years with Des I have learned that the best way to answer this kind of question is with another question. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, they said that if I have any more write ups for dangerous behavior I'm going to get suspended and when I got restricted from the bus for just one day you gave me a really harsh punishment." (I disagree, I just refused to drive him to school and made it clear that if he were to be permanently restricted from the bus he would not go to that school anymore. Which looks very harsh when I read it now and does seem to violate our "let sudbury take care of sudbury" rule but it is just not fair to me Cady or Finn to have to spend an extra hour and a half in the car each day because he can't behave on the bus.) I asked him what kind of dangerous behavior he had been engaging in and he said "I don't know." I said "What do you mean you don't know?" he said "I don't remember."
Then came the flood of complaints that if there was more fun stuff and "activities" to do at school then he wouldn't be doing the dangerous behavior, which he can't remember what it is but he wouldn't do it if there was something else to do.

I guess this might be an example of a kid hitting the wall. It's hard to watch him struggle. I made some suggestions of things to try or people to talk to and he shot them down as being either too hard or too embarrassing. so what else can I do but let him work it our for himself. Which I know is the right thing but then he asks to homeschool and I know how much better he does one on one and I'm tempted to let him try it. I won't because it isn't practical for us right now and I know after a day he would want to go back to school. It's just hard. It's just hard to watch your kid struggle. and he's only 6. Yipes!