Well, a miracle has occurred and Grace is taking an early nap. So here I am with a couple of hours of freedom ... and therapy time to share a mommy confession.
I cannot handle my children getting their feelings hurt.
Along with signing up for the PTA ($10, and I am certain I will never attend a meeting) I purchased for Jake a school t-shirt, that he may wear on Spirit Fridays. The t-shirt must be made out of a rare silk-cotton blend, as it set us back another $15. Anyway, all of the kids are supposed to wear school garb on Fridays, to show their "spirit."
Yesterday Jake's teacher passed out the t-shirts to all of the students who had ordered them: Jake. Some little deviant in pigtails, who must have been insanely jealous of the marvelous t-shirt, said, "You got a t-shirt?! Those are for babies!" Jake, most likely embarrassed, then said, "I don't want it! Here!" and thrust it upon another student. Thus began a round of hot t-shirt, as all of the kids passed it around like it was the plague.
This is all unbeknownst to me, as I pick him up from school that afternoon and pull the t-shirt out of his backpack. "Cool! You got the shirt! Now you can wear it to school tomorrow for Spirit Friday!"
"Mmm hmm."
That night I mention to Jake that I am going to wash his shirt for the following day. He then relates what happened at school. Now, this is where I wonder what kind of person I must be to want to find that little brat and tell her that her My Little Pony backpack is so last season, and no one with a fashion sense would wear lime green scrunchies in their hair. Am I the only one like this? When Jake was in daycare at about 2, another kid bit him. I asked the teacher who had done the biting, and she said that she was not allowed to release that information. I am kind of understanding why. By the way, this is the same little girl that Jake comforted when she missed her mommy on the first day of school. I'll show you missing your mommy, you little...
So, Jake is feeling nervous that all of the kids are going to laugh at him in his school shirt. I said that there will be plenty of other kids wearing the shirts. We call his friends, they are wearing their shirts. Still worried. We go on the school website. "Spirit Friday!" the site announces. Still worried. He is still worried when I pack a sweatshirt in his backpack, just in case, and tell him how handsome he looks a dozen times. I know that he is wearing the t shirt just for me, which leads me aside for a moment...
When I was in junior high my mom bought me a shirt for the holiday season. She thought it was so cute and that I would really like it. Being as sensitive as I am, I could not bear to crush her feelings. For her, I suffered countless snickers and laughs, as I used my books to hide the fact that emblazened upon my shirt in giant red letters was, "JUST SAY HO!!!"
Back to Jake. As I drop him off at school today, after telling him about the droves of kids who will be wearing these shirts, we notice that NO ONE is wearing them. I can see his face starting to sink. "Don't worry Jake, there will be others kids wearing the shirts." He gets out of the car and walks to get in line. I stay in the car, and watch carefully as he greets his classmates. Then I see some kids looking at the shirt ... now Jake is pointing to the shirt ... his arms are becoming animated ... OH NO!
Mother bear leaps into action, as I get out of the car and walk to the gate. "Bye, Jake!" I cheerfully say, but it translates into, "If those kids pick on you I will smash them!" Jake, reading my code language, comes to give me one more hug. I whisper, "Are they being nice about the shirt?"
"Yes. They just said that their moms forgot it was Spirit Day. Bye!"
Ha! Who's the top mom now? I know that I cannot protect my kids forever, and that is a hard conclusion to reach. But, at least I resisted the urge to send a note to the teacher asking her to please compliment Jake on his shirt today. I am not kidding, I almost did.
Friday, September 15, 2006
A Long Blog
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12 comments:
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Ga hahaa haa ga hoheeheehiiihee!
Oh my gosh, I am laughing so hard my stomach hurts. Not at Jake's shirt, but at the way you write! I can't believe you didn't tell me this story on the phone today. I know you were just waiting for me to read your blog. It must have been hard to hold it in.
I'm sorry but what kind of 4 or maybe 5 year old says that shirts are for babies? What a little brat! I can't believe the teacher didn't throw, I mean, put her in the corner and tell her off about being rude and nosy? See? I need to go back in the classroom. If that happened in my room, I would've stopped the lesson and gone off on the kids about how if I ever see anyone bullying anyone else, they're gone! Oh wait, I think I did do that when the Angelica and her cronies were being bullies to poor Claire Douglas. If it were Ron, that would've been a different story, right?
I can't handle parents and their spoiled little kids these days. I swear if I ever hear about Trent being a bully, and I'm sure he will be one maybe once a year if that, but if I hear about it, then he's going to get an earful. Kids can be so mean!!!!!!!!!! Whoa. I think I'm regressing back to grade school when my friends ditched me every recess so they could be first in line at the handball court.
Maybe Jake should transfer to Carden where even the 8th graders have to wear a shirt at Spring Sing and sing showtunes along with the Zuillster.
I am so proud of Jake. He was probably the coolest kid in the class today. And you are the top dog! I mean, mom!!! The moms that pretended to forget the shirt for their kid are probably in the Mom's Club of A.V. and voted not to buy them unless they had a Juicy or Michael Korr's tag on it.
The best part of your blog was the part about how your mom made you wear the "Ho" shirt. I can't believe she would put that kind of label on you at such a young age, but still, it's funny! Ha haaaaaaa! Go Mel!
Excuse me, Kors. I just googled it.
Okay look - I thought the "Just Say HO" t-shirt was cute. Being of clean mind, how was I supposed to know that all the snot-nosed Junior High school students used the word "HO" in an un-Santa like way?
And whats up with the being sensitive and not wanting to crush my feelings, when I seem to remember that the "IIIIIII HAAAAATTTTTE YOUUUUUUUUUUUU" tirades began around then?
And if you want to talk EMBARRASSED, how about the time when you were in third grade and you asked me if I could bring fried chicken for the entire class and I said no it was too expensive, only to have the teacher take me aside and give me the "Christie told me that money was a problem for the family right now and if there was anything she could do to help speech"!
Oh Christie...That fried chicken story is almost as bad as when I peed on the floor at an assembly because I couldn't wait and my mean substitute teacher told me I couldn't go so I went and told the kids I sat in a wet spot.
Kids are cruel. I haven't had a major mean experience with Jonah yet but I'm sure they will come. (kids being mean to Jonah, I mean)
My friend, however, lives in Chicago with her two kids and hubby. Her son, Elijah, is getting picked on by a bunch of kids that are in his kindergarten class and soccer team. They chant,"Princess Eli". How horrible is that?
The parents are right there listening too.(at soccer) They don't even flinch. My friend doesn't know what to do. I told her to confront the parents first and if they don't do anything still, then I would start talking to the kids and telling them to shut the, I mean, I'd tell them to watch it.
I have a little girl now and I'm going to try my best to make sure she isn't a spoiled little....
It drives me nuts to see kids like that.
Dana, I've met Eli and he is kind of a princess. KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isn't it sad that "peer pressure" starts so early? Are we destined to relive, through our children, all the painful moments inflicted upon us by other kids when we were young? Jake seems like he has his head on his shoulders, thank goodness!
However, sometimes the peers are right. Thank God MY mother never bought me a "Ho" t-shirt!
Okay - Wow....not you too ME.....geez! Enough about the Ho shirt!
When I die, am I destined to be remembered by "Just Say Ho" and "Michael Jugless"?
Um...who is Michael Jugless?
Oh, all right then Robyn - since you are practically like family....
My brother-in-law LOVES to make frozen margaritas (well, he calls them frozen, but there is so much liquor in them, the ice melts by the time the glass is handed to you...). Whenever the family converges at my sister's house, the blender is whirring before you can set your purse down. Last summer, after a few of his "specials", I had a little trouble remembering the name of the actor in "Romancing the Stone" - well, when it suddenly came to me, I blurted out "Michael Jugless!". Ever since then, I have to hear about it EVERY time we all get together....
Oh, Mom.
What kind of mother deprives her son of his bad ass Batman t-shirt for some flaming silk "Spirit Squad" shirt? I ain't want my nephew growin' into no poof...
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