This past weekend I stumbled onto "The Princess Bride" while channel surfing. I'd kind of forgotten about that one, but it was a high school favorite of mine and I knew we owned it. It seemed to me that it might be a hit with Kailin and Colby both. So Saturday morning I put it on. I was right, but actually all four kids watched it with intrigue. There are two (yes, two) "choice" words in the movie that I didn't remember, but I was still glad that I showed it for them.
Sunday afternoon we had a request for a repeat showing and I obliged. I'd been pondering letting the kids watch another of my childhood favorites (and Steve's), "The Goonies". I decided to go for the double feature and we watched it. Several more "choice" words in that one, but other than that it was pretty harmless. None of my kids scare very easily, so I wasn't too concerned. The kids really loved it!
Tonight at supper, Colby was being a goof. Steve encouraged him to say "I love you, Chunk!!" (Steve's favorite line from the movie.) Colby giggled and said in earnest, "I love you, Chuck!!" Steve and I busted up laughing so hard! Then Colby wanted to know if that line was from the movie, "What was it called again? The Gimpies?" Yeah, Colby, Chuck was the star of "The Gimpies".
We had a great time at supper tonight - it was loud at times, but there was lots of laughter. I love nights like these!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
standing up
I got home from a school board meeting earlier tonight feeling pretty good. It's not my habit to attend school board meetings, to be honest, but something came up in the last couple of months and it was time to ready myself to fight the good fight for something I believe in. There were rumors that the 1/2 day 5k program was coming to an end. As of the 1st of the year, they didn't have the numbers to justify having a 1/2 day class next year.
Colby's class this year (not the 1/2 day 5k class - the class as a whole) was enormous - the biggest the school has ever seen. Not surprisingly, next year's class is quite small. So then it would follow that next year's class, in a relatively static community, would likely be quite small. Likewise, the already typically somewhat small half day 5k class would be unusually small. Several people argued that point at the last school board meeting. Had I been there (I was in Madison with Molly Kate seeing the dwarfism expert), I would have followed suit.
I had other arguments to make as well. How was it different, I wondered, to force some of those asking for a full day program into a half day program than forcing those wanting a half day program into full day. Yes, we have the option to go and pick our children up at 11:30, but what a great way to set them up to be ostracized or differentiate them from their classmates. We've heard time and again from our first grade teachers that there is no academic difference between the kids who are in half day vs. the kids in full day. So why not force some (few) parents to have a half day student? Seems to me that looking at the numbers, forcing 3 families into half day when they'd prefer full day is less 'forcing' than forcing 9 families who want half day into full day. Yes, there are children who need full day kindergarten. Don't make those among the 3. Identify the kids who will do best academically in full day and cull those from the group of potential half dayers. There are children who can't make a full day at 5 years old. There are those, like Kailin, who are the youngest in their class - not so young that they should be held back, but young enough that half a day of school is enough at five. It's a disservice to our children to allow some parents' desire for free daycare (in my opinion, that's what it boils down to) to dictate whether or not my child's educational needs are met. I'm sure the argument that would matter least to the school board, but matters most to me, is that kids are only little just so long. I truly believe, to the very core of my being, that kids need time just to be kids. To do nothing. Goof off. PLAY. Once they're in school full time, they're in school full time until they (hopefully) work full time. So let them be kids. It's only for a minute.
Tonight I attended the school board meeting to show my support, and to argue if necessary. There were at least 10 parents there tonight, and the entire kindergarten staff, standing in support of a program they believe in. Twelve families have committed to half day for next year - and that was the minimum required to continue the program. More than one of us, in talking after the meeting, agreed that we'd be right back there arguing for the program to continue even after our kids are beyond it. We believe in it. And it was lovely to talk with people who share my passion for half day 5k and who understand and agree with my feelings that kids are only little just so long. It made be proud to be part of a small community - and a community where parents stand up for what they believe in and take a stand when they need to.
Although this battle was won, I'll be right back there next year fighting for it again if need be. If we don't have the numbers, I'm hoping we parents will be able to offer enough convincing evidence to make a difference. At the minimum, we owe it to our kids to try.
I hope someday when my kids are thinking about the things that I did while they were growing up, standing up for what I believe in and for what I think is best for them is one of them.
Colby's class this year (not the 1/2 day 5k class - the class as a whole) was enormous - the biggest the school has ever seen. Not surprisingly, next year's class is quite small. So then it would follow that next year's class, in a relatively static community, would likely be quite small. Likewise, the already typically somewhat small half day 5k class would be unusually small. Several people argued that point at the last school board meeting. Had I been there (I was in Madison with Molly Kate seeing the dwarfism expert), I would have followed suit.
I had other arguments to make as well. How was it different, I wondered, to force some of those asking for a full day program into a half day program than forcing those wanting a half day program into full day. Yes, we have the option to go and pick our children up at 11:30, but what a great way to set them up to be ostracized or differentiate them from their classmates. We've heard time and again from our first grade teachers that there is no academic difference between the kids who are in half day vs. the kids in full day. So why not force some (few) parents to have a half day student? Seems to me that looking at the numbers, forcing 3 families into half day when they'd prefer full day is less 'forcing' than forcing 9 families who want half day into full day. Yes, there are children who need full day kindergarten. Don't make those among the 3. Identify the kids who will do best academically in full day and cull those from the group of potential half dayers. There are children who can't make a full day at 5 years old. There are those, like Kailin, who are the youngest in their class - not so young that they should be held back, but young enough that half a day of school is enough at five. It's a disservice to our children to allow some parents' desire for free daycare (in my opinion, that's what it boils down to) to dictate whether or not my child's educational needs are met. I'm sure the argument that would matter least to the school board, but matters most to me, is that kids are only little just so long. I truly believe, to the very core of my being, that kids need time just to be kids. To do nothing. Goof off. PLAY. Once they're in school full time, they're in school full time until they (hopefully) work full time. So let them be kids. It's only for a minute.
Tonight I attended the school board meeting to show my support, and to argue if necessary. There were at least 10 parents there tonight, and the entire kindergarten staff, standing in support of a program they believe in. Twelve families have committed to half day for next year - and that was the minimum required to continue the program. More than one of us, in talking after the meeting, agreed that we'd be right back there arguing for the program to continue even after our kids are beyond it. We believe in it. And it was lovely to talk with people who share my passion for half day 5k and who understand and agree with my feelings that kids are only little just so long. It made be proud to be part of a small community - and a community where parents stand up for what they believe in and take a stand when they need to.
Although this battle was won, I'll be right back there next year fighting for it again if need be. If we don't have the numbers, I'm hoping we parents will be able to offer enough convincing evidence to make a difference. At the minimum, we owe it to our kids to try.
I hope someday when my kids are thinking about the things that I did while they were growing up, standing up for what I believe in and for what I think is best for them is one of them.
Friday, March 8, 2013
let down
This morning I missed an opportunity to be my oldest's child's hero and although it is small in the grand scheme of life, I will regret it forever. I have learned a valuable lesson this morning and I pray that I won't soon forget it.
The phone rang at 8:30. It was the school on the caller ID. What, I wondered, could possibly have happened (short of a puke incident on the bus) before school even started? To my surprise, it was Kailin on the other end of the line. "Mom? I forgot my lunch." Sure enough, there it sat on the kitchen counter. "Well, honey, you'll just have to have hot lunch today, okay?" "No." "Well what's for lunch, today?" "I don't know." I couldn't find the lunch calendar, either. "Honey, can you just eat hot lunch today?" "No." "No?" "Can't you just bring my lunch?" And here's the big fail. BIG FAIL. This is where I should have said, "Of course I will!" But this is where I actually said, "I'm not going to load up all the kids and come up to school. You need to just eat hot lunch." The moment I heard the quaver in her voice my heart sank right down into the pit of my stomach and I felt HORRIBLE. "Okay, bye Mom." Oh my heart. I did it ALLLL wrong. ALL wrong. And I knew it from the moment the words left my mouth. Yes, I can change it. I got the lunch to school (thanks to a friend who was going that way anyway, although I would have taken it myself). But I can't change that I let her down and caused her horrible disappointment in that moment. Over something stupid. Over something I could fix. There are SO MANY things in her life that I won't be able to fix. So many times she'll have to be disappointed and there won't be anything at all I can do about it. But to have failed to be her hero, failed to bring her comfort, and to have CAUSED the disappointment when I didn't have to...oh it makes me want to cry even now when she's probably already gotten her lunch and knows that the day is saved after all. I can just feel her relief when her wonderful teacher allowed her to call home so that I could bring her lunch....and then the horrible, sinking disappointment when I wouldn't save her. Epic fail.
I know - you're all going to say that this was such a small thing and that I need to not beat myself up over it. Or maybe you're going to say "Yeah, you should feel pretty bad. What a cruddy thing to do to your kid." In truth, I am going to feel bad for a pretty long time. I hope she reads the little note I put in her lunchbox that says, "I'm so sorry that I said that I wouldn't bring your lunch to school today. I love you SO much!" and feels even the slightest bit better. And I hope some mom reading this who gets a call from school about her kid's missing lunch will save the day and her mama heart.
The phone rang at 8:30. It was the school on the caller ID. What, I wondered, could possibly have happened (short of a puke incident on the bus) before school even started? To my surprise, it was Kailin on the other end of the line. "Mom? I forgot my lunch." Sure enough, there it sat on the kitchen counter. "Well, honey, you'll just have to have hot lunch today, okay?" "No." "Well what's for lunch, today?" "I don't know." I couldn't find the lunch calendar, either. "Honey, can you just eat hot lunch today?" "No." "No?" "Can't you just bring my lunch?" And here's the big fail. BIG FAIL. This is where I should have said, "Of course I will!" But this is where I actually said, "I'm not going to load up all the kids and come up to school. You need to just eat hot lunch." The moment I heard the quaver in her voice my heart sank right down into the pit of my stomach and I felt HORRIBLE. "Okay, bye Mom." Oh my heart. I did it ALLLL wrong. ALL wrong. And I knew it from the moment the words left my mouth. Yes, I can change it. I got the lunch to school (thanks to a friend who was going that way anyway, although I would have taken it myself). But I can't change that I let her down and caused her horrible disappointment in that moment. Over something stupid. Over something I could fix. There are SO MANY things in her life that I won't be able to fix. So many times she'll have to be disappointed and there won't be anything at all I can do about it. But to have failed to be her hero, failed to bring her comfort, and to have CAUSED the disappointment when I didn't have to...oh it makes me want to cry even now when she's probably already gotten her lunch and knows that the day is saved after all. I can just feel her relief when her wonderful teacher allowed her to call home so that I could bring her lunch....and then the horrible, sinking disappointment when I wouldn't save her. Epic fail.
I know - you're all going to say that this was such a small thing and that I need to not beat myself up over it. Or maybe you're going to say "Yeah, you should feel pretty bad. What a cruddy thing to do to your kid." In truth, I am going to feel bad for a pretty long time. I hope she reads the little note I put in her lunchbox that says, "I'm so sorry that I said that I wouldn't bring your lunch to school today. I love you SO much!" and feels even the slightest bit better. And I hope some mom reading this who gets a call from school about her kid's missing lunch will save the day and her mama heart.
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