Suddenly a year has gone by and junior high school is over. Let me catch you up:
Buses, lunches, stolen iPod, friendships tested, lunch table, A’s & B’s, late homework, tests, web design, great teacher, no one asked her to dance, tears, too much paper, homework not handed in, teacher hates her, status reports, C’s & D’s, tutor, counselor, hates PE, loves dancing, new friends, working hard, B’s & C’s, trip to Disneyland, awards night, summer break. Whew! It was actually harder than it read.
After dropping her off at her first high school meeting, I am thinking I felt the same as when I was driving away from the first day of preschool. The only difference was that 10 years ago she was sobbing, and this time she was saying…”Mom! I don’t need you to walk me in. Just go!!!” Girls are tough, they are sometimes hormonal and lean (heavily) towards the dramatic side, but watching her grow has been my idea of an all time great movie – thrills and chills, leaving me wanting to watch it over, again and again.
Category Archives: Personal Life
Another Door
Filed under Personal Life, Teen Years
Recession and Homework
It seems the recession has hit eighth grade. At least that’s my best guess. After the third semester of junior high school spent dragging my kid over the June finish line, my nerves were frayed and sensitive. I mean, really…. what is the big deal with completing and actually handing in homework? Yes, my Pisces kidlet is the “floating through life” kind of girl but there is just so much yelling, grounding, and electronics banishment I can do before my Capricorn tendencies start me towards a better way – or at least an explanation or something to help me understand and reformat my approach. There just had to be a reason.
I put a label to it one night when I asked her why she didn’t care. All I got was a shrug but it was added to my mental list of reasons and stuck. She just didn’t care. I started to look towards moms and dads in my same orbit to form a hypothesis and help me understand why evenings and weekends were just so tough. After mentioning my issues, I found sanctuary. They all had the same problem to varying degrees and listening to most of them was like hitting replay on my evenings. These families were all different, some with dads, some without. A grandma lived in one house. Commuters and stay-at-home moms. The common thread was always the same….why don’t the kids care? Validation meant at least now my mind could move forward instead of floundering every night in Algebra hell.
Let’s cut to the chase on this, and remember, this is strictly subjective. A couple of teachers had told me that, after the last round of budget wars, some carry upwards of 40 kids in classes, with a possibility of more. Add to that furlough days and reduction of class help. With those kind of distractions, kids who don’t become involved are just left behind. Teachers just don’t have the time to connect with them all. So normal kids like mine who lack the competitive streak need the spark at home, or they will be lost. My mission is now clear, and turns out a little more cerebral and less combative. Well, still combative, considering hormones. But my thoughts on this are more ordered and have direction. However, the computer is still locked up until the next progress report.
Filed under Personal Life, Teen Years
Smile Therapy
Little E’s school’s Open House is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and she has early dismissal, so I use my lunch hour to pick up her and a friend at 12:45. We run to the friend’s house to fetch her computer, stop at McD’s for lunch ($20!), and I drop them off with instructions to walk the dog, clean up the lunch mess, and do their homework.
I knew I had to cook dinner since my budget wouldn’t be able to handle another splurge. My boss lets me leave a few minutes early and I stop at the store to pick up some things. Racing home, I am greeted at the door by a McMess on the table, a puppy that had thrown up (the dog would eat a chair if it fit down his throat!), and two kids staring into computer screens. Interesting choices – not wise ones considering the day would end with parents in face-to-face discussion with teachers.
Juggling grocery bags, I let the dog out of the kitchen and tell my daughter to clean up so I can start the spaghetti. She piles a tray high with trash and, as she moves toward the garbage bag I am holding open, the entire contents of a McShamrock shake falls to the floor. Apparently, I need to actually tell my child at least once in her lifetime that she should empty liquid into the sink first, so it’s my fault.
For the second time (or is it the third?), I tell her to clean it all up and, as I turn to wipe down my pants and shoes, I see the dog peeing on the carpet – twice. I ask them if they took the dog out…….no. Did you at least finish your homework?……uhhmmm. Mental note: lock up her laptop for the rest of the week.
Deep breath. Regroup. It is now 6:10 and I need to leave at 6:45, after I cook supper. I take the dog out, although it’s kind of useless but it makes me feel better. Coming in, I watch my girl go through an entire roll of paper towels because she can’t let it touch her fingers – gross! I jump in to help because time is a-ticking.
Finally, the green gunk is cleaned up and I mean this stuff flew! The fridge, the stove, the dog, and I am sticking to the floor with every step. Making my way to the stove, I put a pot on to boil and grab the cleanser to try and unstick my kitchen while the supper is cooking. After all, multi-tasking is my life.
6:50 p.m.- Spaghetti and meatballs are served, the dog is wiped down, and I take off for Open House almost on time. I end the evening with my daughter’s English teacher, who tells me the kid is smart but she is a little lazy with the details, like cleaning up her work and finishing things. Yeah, tell me about it.
Keep smiling.
Filed under Personal Life
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