Why does parenting have to be so difficult?

Geez! Blake wants to go to an exhibit at a nearby museum... the exhibit is called "Grossology" and is about the human body. It sounds like something he would really enjoy. My mom even sent us a check to pay to get in. However, we aren't going to be able to go until next week. We told Blake that if he has good behavior from now until next Thursday then we'll go on Thursday night. Going on a school night was the issue here, because we CAN go on Saturday.

When I got home from work I looked at his school stuff and there's a note from his teacher that he was talking when he was supposed to be working. In the moments that followed I was told that I am selfish, that he hates me, that he didn't want to even TALK to me, and then stomped up the stairs, slammed his door, opened it back up and wrote "Stay out Mom!" on the chalkboard on his door, slammed it again, screamed some more and threw something at the back of his door. At this, I grabbed the box of garbage bags and went upstairs and started putting his train set into the bags. He then started ripping things out of my hands and screaming, "NO! NO! Not my Geotrax! No, Mommy, NO! I WILL DO ANYTHING! ANYYYYYTTHHHIIIIIIINGGG!!!!" "MOM! PLEASE!" (Have you seen the vidoe of the nut job crying about "leave Brittany alone"? THAT will give you some idea of how Blake was acting.) He screamed and screamed and screamed the whole time I was packing up the trains... which seemed like HOURS by the way although it was mere minutes.

After about an hour in his room this meek little voice piped up from the top of the stairs:
Mommy?

What?

Two things...

Yes Blake?

One, can I sleep in the living room again? And two, are you just going to leave me up here to STARVE?

GAH!

for the record... he is eating a pb&j and doing homework right now.

Pray for me. I need to learn how to parent this kid before it's too late!