I think I've got a little Christine in me. I feel a little out of place around married women who seem to have the entire package.....good kids, money, husbands...choice.. The other day, I was chatting with one of the popular duos at conferences. Our kids all run in the same grades (3 juniors and 2 freshman). Blonde mom #1 has a junior daughter who is quiet and not quite as skilled in the classroom as her older brother was but overall a great girl and decent grades but she also thinks her mom is a dolt. Blonde mom #2 has a really smart junior son who has made some stupid decisions with regard to theft and plagiarism and sort of becomes whoever he hangs out with and her freshman daughter is a bit sassy to her. These women are smart, beautiful, married and have more money than god. One teaches 2nd grade and one doesn't work. Nice lives if you can get them.
Anyway, as we were standing around talking about our kids and their teachers. One of them turned to me and said "oh yeah, your kids are PERFECT....you just wait....one of them is going to do something terrible and you are going to lose your mind". .................................................Seriously?...........I just stood there for a moment because I wasn't sure what I wanted to start with in my reply.........................Seriously?.................let me see................Are you really hoping and wishing that one of my kids screws up? Are you really secretly hoping that I have to deal with a call from Scheels telling me that my son has just tried to steal a pair of tennis shoes that I could easily afford to buy ten times over????????????????? Is that what you want?
Ironically, I didn't yell. I didn't scream. I simply said in my softest voice. My kids and I have already been through hell and back and came out the other side landing on our feet. We are stronger because of it and we are more protective of each other because of it. My kids don't talk back to me or sass me because there has been enough disrespect in our family and pain caused because of it that it isn't necessary. My kids don't do stupid things because they know what it feels like to be let down by someone you love and they don't ever want to bring that pain onto themselves, each other or me. In short....my kids don't have the luxury to act like idiots because their safe world that allows them to do that, was pulled out from under them. Bottom line....keep your petty jealousies about my "great kids" to yourself and go home and thank God that your family is intact and your kids feel safe enough to act out.
I walked away...............................
I'll be sitting alone at the National Honor Society Induction on the 16th....neither of their Juniors made it ;)
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