My six year old son, who happens to be what we in the mom profession call a “triple threat;” smart, willful and extremely manipulative, told his teacher the reason he misbehaves is because his body wont do what his brain asks of him. This response set off a flury of attention. “Children don’t say things like that unless there is something very wrong.” They advised nervously.

I’m not living in denial or unwilling to see my kid’s flaws. Honestly, I’m such an obsessively self-analytical creature (which extends to my offspring as well), that I think I’m the first person to point out and try to fix their imperfections. But his teachers see his disruptive behavior and subsequent brain/body response as proof of some serious psychological impairment. They want me to have a full neuro-psych evaluation – only $1500 (not that money matters when you’re talking about your kids). I said in his defense, “Look, he probably heard someone say that. He says a lot of weird stuff.”

“Well,” counseled the experts, “Most 6 year old boys do not say a lot of weird stuff.”

Do you ever feel like you just can’t win?