just so you know....if you're a parent of a school age child and you receive a phone call mid day from 'private caller', odds are it's re: your child or your child.
with that said, i got a call today from matt's swim teacher "mrs. van ness, i'm here with matthew in my office, this is the 4th time this semester he's been without his swim trunks. his grade is suffering."
me: "oh, well....ok. yes, i'm am looking at his trunks now. assuming these are the ones he's been using. looks like he listened when i suggested he bring them home to be washed sometime soon"
teacher: "this is the 4th time he's been without his trunks, his grade is suffering"
me: (thinking to myself: yes, you've mentioned that...or did you for get you mentioned that like my 13 yr. old forgot to take his trunks back to school) "ok, thanks for letting me know"
teacher: "his grade is suffering"
me: "ok....thanks for the call. have a good rest of your day"
click
now, i'm not even sure how many weeks in we are (& truthfully giving all we've been through the start of this year, don't really care) but i do know that the 1st week of school matt attended 1 day and week 2 only attended 3 days. he remembered to take his trunks on friday of the 2nd week. was absent the thursday of the 3rd week and his stuff was stolen out of his locker so when he returned on friday he was without trunks. i remedied that by purchasing new trunks, 2 pairs to be exact because who knows when another pair will be stolen.
and if i'm being honest, i really don't care. there i said it. end of story. why? well, it's 8th grade swim. experiencing the class for what the instructor calls the 4th time without trunks isn't devastating to anyone. frustrating to the instructor...yes. detrimental to his grade...evidently, but to life...not so much. and if i'm being really honest, i don't care or put much stock in grades. especially at any level before high school.
i want my kids to do their best. but like me (& most of us) they're human, & they on occasion forget to take something with them. i do it ALL THE TIME.
i know this, matt can swim. and he can swim well. he can swim many different strokes. he can float. he can dive. and we thank you mr. yordy for teaching him such things. i have also learned from his time in 8th grade swim that he can be a victim of theft & it not really matter...as it's his fault he didn't have the $5 necessary to buy/rent the lock to protect his stuff while it was in the locker/locker room. theif = 1; matt = 0 & docked grade!
all this leads me to wonder....what if.....the instructor forgot to lock his door & something came up missing from his office....would his pay be docked? or his evaluation be less than honorable? what if....the instructor forgot something he needed for that days lesson plan? again, would that error in judgement be reflected?...ANYWHERE? (feel free to chime in here teachers if you have input....not enough copies for the day??? grades not returned in a timely manner??? left something at home, therefore must improvise, plan B if you will??? what's the penalty? if any.)
so to my private caller....thanks for the update. to my son, thanks for bringing home your disgusting swim stuff after a couple of weeks/weekends in the locker...wet, so that it may be washed and fungus free for further participation in the class. oh & in case your teacher didn't tell you while you were held up in his office...your grade is suffering. ....i on the other hand am glad you haven't drowned, however it sounds as if you're barely staying afloat! ....suppose we could opt for speedo's as underwear....then you'll always be prepared! :)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
you wouldn't believe all the things that go through your mind when you lose someone you love. at the forefront of mine has been the realization that i am without a parent in this life. i'm not quite sure what to make of that really.
8/11 my mom passed away. i never really thought about losing her. i knew complete healing would only really come when she passed from this life to the next but it really isn't something you plan on. we had some 'time' if you will to contemplate her passing. and she, from the conversations she had with others and what they have shared with us, had a feeling or premonition she would be going to her eternal home. with my mom gone from this life i understand a bit more what to do with my feelings and emotions. we loved each other, over came rough spots, she never gave up or walked away, and refused to leave from her corner of the world until she was ready to do so. her phone number was always the same, 948-5563 as well as her address. there's so much comfort in that, knowing where you parent is and how to get a hold of them. there's so much comfort in knowing no matter what this life dealt that mom was always there. approving or not, proud or disappointed, there was one emotion she never wavered on .....and that was love. i knew, with out a doubt that my mom loved me. she never spoke to me for what she didn't tell me. she craved time with me and my family. she couldn't get enough of us. there's something to be said for that.
feb/mar 2010 - this is a guesstimate of the last time i spoke with my dad. i called him. my dad has 2 biological kids and 4 steps. he lives in florida. it is his sunday evening routine to call the kids. well, so i've been told. my brother receives his calls. and after confirming so, i decided to call my dad to check in with him, update him on goings on in my life, tell him about his grandchildren, etc.... i was then able to see my dad in person in june of that same year at my nephews graduation. he didn't acknowledge me. or his grandkids...my children.
this time i was the dead one.
the week after fathers day i mailed my dad a fathers day card. i held on to it with the hope of delivering it in person as he spent most of the month of june in indiana. he celebrated fathers day with my brother, his family and 2 of his steps & their families. i wasn't included. he left the next day, monday. tuesday i dropped his card in the mail with a letter. i had spent some time penning that letter. adding and deleting, reading and rereading to make sure it said just exactly what i needed to day. i suppose i could've called. but like my father, i chose not to. i stated in that letter disappointment in what our relationship had become, sadness that i felt due to feeling the loss of a dad, love that i'll always have for him and our memories together and hope for his happiness, and perhaps most importantly forgivness to him with regard to his decision to simply walk away. his journey away from my life began when i was 16 years old.
7/2010 - i'm guessing is when i lost my dad.
9/4/2011 - he told my brother to tell me he loved me. .....i'm not sure what to do with that.
oh how i miss my mom! and her never wavering love.
8/11 my mom passed away. i never really thought about losing her. i knew complete healing would only really come when she passed from this life to the next but it really isn't something you plan on. we had some 'time' if you will to contemplate her passing. and she, from the conversations she had with others and what they have shared with us, had a feeling or premonition she would be going to her eternal home. with my mom gone from this life i understand a bit more what to do with my feelings and emotions. we loved each other, over came rough spots, she never gave up or walked away, and refused to leave from her corner of the world until she was ready to do so. her phone number was always the same, 948-5563 as well as her address. there's so much comfort in that, knowing where you parent is and how to get a hold of them. there's so much comfort in knowing no matter what this life dealt that mom was always there. approving or not, proud or disappointed, there was one emotion she never wavered on .....and that was love. i knew, with out a doubt that my mom loved me. she never spoke to me for what she didn't tell me. she craved time with me and my family. she couldn't get enough of us. there's something to be said for that.
feb/mar 2010 - this is a guesstimate of the last time i spoke with my dad. i called him. my dad has 2 biological kids and 4 steps. he lives in florida. it is his sunday evening routine to call the kids. well, so i've been told. my brother receives his calls. and after confirming so, i decided to call my dad to check in with him, update him on goings on in my life, tell him about his grandchildren, etc.... i was then able to see my dad in person in june of that same year at my nephews graduation. he didn't acknowledge me. or his grandkids...my children.
this time i was the dead one.
the week after fathers day i mailed my dad a fathers day card. i held on to it with the hope of delivering it in person as he spent most of the month of june in indiana. he celebrated fathers day with my brother, his family and 2 of his steps & their families. i wasn't included. he left the next day, monday. tuesday i dropped his card in the mail with a letter. i had spent some time penning that letter. adding and deleting, reading and rereading to make sure it said just exactly what i needed to day. i suppose i could've called. but like my father, i chose not to. i stated in that letter disappointment in what our relationship had become, sadness that i felt due to feeling the loss of a dad, love that i'll always have for him and our memories together and hope for his happiness, and perhaps most importantly forgivness to him with regard to his decision to simply walk away. his journey away from my life began when i was 16 years old.
7/2010 - i'm guessing is when i lost my dad.
9/4/2011 - he told my brother to tell me he loved me. .....i'm not sure what to do with that.
oh how i miss my mom! and her never wavering love.
