Last night I finally cleared out my 300+ post-event email inbox. I made an appointment with a financial advisor for the week I get back so I don't take a bath in taxes this year. He may advise me against doing the kitchen. That project may end up saved for 2018.
Yesterday Bobby casually mentioned that he was called into the principal's office at school to talk about kids playing "the name game" - i.e. calling him names. He said "at the end they say Marry your sister's butt, but I don't have a sister, so..." I was pretty upset that kids had been ganging up and calling him names, but he seemed unperturbed. I messaged his teacher about it to get a more clear story (his was muddled to say the least), but she has not written back. How do you know when kids are just suffering silently with things, as kids so often do, or when there genuinely isn't anything to worry about? I worry a lot that he has friends and is enjoying school...way more than I worry about his academic development. That says way more about me than it says about him.
With the seemingly endless requests for supplies, volunteering, donations, involvement and attention between the two preschools, the after school program, and Bobby's school, I never feel like I'm doing enough. Was this much asked of our parents? I think not.
So tomorrow I leave to fly halfway around the world until Monday. I'm looking forward to leaving the drudgery of every day life with two small children behind - the early wake ups, the food preparation, the wiping, always with the wiping...but am also not looking forward to being so far away and missing them and their sweet little faces. Sigh. Can't live with 'em...
We've had issues with bullying at school as well. The #1 clue for me is to watch how he treats his little brother. 90% of the time F will come home from school and do/say something mean to his younger brother that I've never seen him do before. If I start a gentle conversation with him later, it usually reveals what has been going on. I'll say something like "Hey bud, has anyone been calling you (name you called your brother)?" and that gets the conversation going.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard and I hate how early it starts. In our case, the offender is older and taller and F wants to win his social approval, so he tolerates the abuse until he breaks down in tears and bad behavior.