Saturday, July 08, 2006

Husband Steps Up


So a select few people in my life know we're planning on homeschooling our 6yo daughter next year. I have been trying to prep said 6yo by mentioning that homeschooling was an option for next year, you might not have to do school at all next year, etc, etc, but it was maddeningly difficult as I could never get a straight answer out of Fran about the whole thing. Like "so are we homeschooling next year?" "I dunno, how?". DAMNIT.

On Thursday we were out outlet-mall shopping (a spectacular example of self-restraint if I do say so myself - the only thing I bought that wasn't on my list was a $2 shirt for 6yo) and we ran into one of 6yo's kindergarten classmates. This made 6yo quite excited and the girls were happy to see one another and talk for a moment.

When we got back to the car 6yo started crying. "My teacher spent lots of time getting me ready for first grade mama" "I wanted to be a first grader" "First graders have three recesses!". We talked again about how in first grade, you are in school all day, and have to do lots and lots of the things she doesn't like doing (she is not advanced per se, but is extremely speedy in her work and was already, in kindergarten, having trouble in that she'd finish a task and then have to remain seated, bored out of her wits, while her classmates finished). We talked about how in first grade, you get three recesses because you are in school ALL DAY. We talked about how it is fun to just be at the park with our friends, and we get to do that longer than recess.

She remained unconvinced.

We got home and it was obvious to Fran that she had been upset and crying. She blurts out "I'm sad I don't get to go to first grade!"

Hmmm, little red-rimmed crying eyes? Daddy huggle-snuggles? Cue daddy cave-in? Will he say "oh it is ok honey, we're not sure you're going to homeschool, I'll talk to mommy?" "Oh sweetie...you can be a first grader!"

Nope. OMG I love my husband.

"Becca" (it went something like...) "I know you were excited about first grade. Mommy and daddy have plans for you and we think that you don't understand yet, but we think you will like it EVEN MORE than you would like first grade! Mommy and daddy don't want you to be unhappy in first grade, honey. I know you miss your friends - we will make sure to spend lots of time with friends even though you aren't in school. We will meet with friends at the park and at our house and other houses, but we will still see friends, ok sweetie?"

OMG I love my husband. Off went the waterworks, he'd found the magic words. 6yo played a little depressed-like for about an hour while she mulled it over and then went back to life as usual.

Of all of us, I think our poor 6yo has the most and biggest and hardest to address fears about homeschooling. It makes me sad not to respect her desire to got to school next year, but I suppose that the great burden of parenthood is making decisions in your kids' best interest, even if they dislike it at the moment.

Monday, July 03, 2006

In Which I Profess My Undying Love for my Mother-In-Law

Yes, an odd title I know.

She gave me money yesterday. Lots of it. Enough to buy my books and pay my clinical fees for next year. OMG. She has finally done it. Bought my love. My eternal, undying, love. Apparently the price of my love is $1050.00. So all ye rich people, yes, I my affections can be bought. Poor people take heart, I can be won in other ways.

But MWA-HAHA-HAHAHAHAHA! I don't even have to stop shopping the clearance racks at Target to get my school paid for. I dunno. The universe is nice. My own mom wants to fly me and the kids out to Hawaii at the end of the month. This is like poor-person HEAVEN I tell you, not having to worry about money next quarter AND what the hell, I get a trip to Hawaii too!

My Mother-In-Law was once upon a time Miss Hawaii and a runner-up Miss America. My eldest daughter seems to have inherited some of her imperial stature (the squared shoulders, long limbs, and easy-gliding walk of the beauty queen), much to my delight (as a short and stubby and generally not-beauty-queenish person) and consternation (as the mother of a potentially stunning preteen/teen/etc). I don't know what to feel like about this. On the one hand, the beauty queen culture isn't attractive to me, not at all, although my daughter may have some other thoughts about it, and the thought of a stunningly beautiful teenaged daughter sends me into paranoid conniptions...on the other, who DOESN'T want stunningly beautiful children?

Anyway. Now I have to figure out how to THANK her, especially since she let it be known that she has every intention of buying my books for me every quarter until I've graduated. Oh, the love I feel for my Mother-In-Law right now.