A Strict Moral Compass

So, one of the problems that were encountered this year by us, The Boy and his teachers was that he's very black and white when it comes to rules.  He prefers to construct his own rules - usually to be changed as soon as he realizes exactly how they've restricted him.  But when there are rules set out in school - oh boy look out.  Frequently his issues at school were (it seems) situations in which SOMEONE wasn't doing what they were supposed to be doing, and he attempted to correct them, which resulted in him getting in trouble.  One rule that he apparently is completely unable to comply with is that you are NOT supposed to look under the bathroom stalls at your neighbors.  We're working on that.  Another bathroom related fiasco-inducing rule, is that nothing is to be put in toilets that doesn't belong there.  This of course becomes a problem when OTHER students put things in the toilet, like, say a Weekly Reader.  SG beholds the horror that is something not bodily-waste-related in the toilet, and can't help himself but to pull it out and go show it to a teacher.  Who, understandably, recoils in horror, sighs and explains YET AGAIN that he's not to pull things OUT of the toilet, and to go wash his hands RIGHT NOW.  NOW!  NO I don't know who did it, put it in the garbage and go wash your hands!


I'm not entirely sure, but I think that a career in law enforcement might be a good fit for him.

Mean Girls

So, I read Mary Pipher's, "Reviving Ophelia" a while back and CW was "sneaking" passages of it when she found it on my nightstand.  She came to me with questions and we talked about what she'd read.  I told her that while I needed to finish reading it myself and decide IF it was appropriate for her, I was fairly certain that I wanted her to read it.  One reason I wanted her to read it is that in reality, she IS an entitled white girl on her way into the teen years and she need(s/ed) to understand how nice her life really is.  Yes, we make her clean her own bathroom, and do chores and be responsible about things and people, etc.  But really?  She's not growing up in poverty by a long shot, she's not being abused, no on in her life has died, she doesn't remember anyone in her life being terminally ill and she has tons of opportunities to experience new things.  Her life is pretty damn good even though she doesn't have a dedicated gaming platform of any type or a smartphone.  (the HORROR!)  I mean good god, the girl has grandparents on both coasts who can take turns challenging her and spoiling her, and family all over the country to visit.

Anyway, I digress.  I had given her Emily Bazelon's, "Sticks and Stones" to read after I was done with it.  So when she asked me if she could see the movie "Mean Girls" (loosely adapted from "Queen Bees and Wannabes")I figured that the curiosity had come from there.  I was wrong, she'd seen a clip of it on YouTube and was sucked in.  Whatever.  I recorded it, and screened it to make sure that nothing was totally out of her league.  It was fine, right on the edge, but fine, so she and I watched it yesterday.  One moment, when the plastics are on-stage dancing suggestively, I paused it and said, "You know that pretty much EVERYTHING they do is wrong, right?"  She started laughing and agreed, "Yeah, mom, I know!"

The crowning jewel though, was when the camera pans past Regina's (the Queen Bee) little sister in the background, who is somewhere around 10 years old, watching "Girls Gone Wild" and practicing by flashing her undershirted chest at the TV.   CW damn near choked.

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING!?  WHAT IS SHE DOING!?"

That was one of those pop quiz moments - and she totally passed the quiz with flying colors from that reaction alone.  Not only did she have the appropriate response, BUT she got extra credit for not verbalizing her full reaction which was pretty obviously, "WTF!?"

What the-?! Wednesday...It's Thursday Already?!

So, I got an email yesterday afternoon from SG's Classroom Instructional Assistant yesterday (She's also my PTA Pres/Treas, a neighbor, and a mom of one of CW's classmates).  He apparently did not get over his issues with the chicken nuggets that Matt packed for his lunch yesterday morning.  He sat there and smashed them with his fist, proclaiming that he didn't like THOSE nuggets.

The offensive Nuggets

 We've been packing Lunchables brand Chicken Nuggets for him all year (not every day, but they are one of his staples).  Giant is no longer carrying them.  We haven't been to WalMart lately - because thank god, THEY still carry them.  So, Matt picked up Tysons precooked nuggets, because apparently he'd had a stroke, and memory loss and he failed to realize that this is the Screaming Genius he's packing a lunch for.  I just don't know.  He put them in SG's Darth "Dader"  lunch box and The Fit ensued, only to be stopped when I threatened him with the loss of a toy.  I meant to email his IA and Teacher about the possibility of utter insanity at lunch, I really did, but I got busy and forgot.  I had PTA lollipops to sell!  Priorities here!

So I got this picture in my email.  He was an absolute disaster yesterday, largely due to the fact that he'd declared Jihad on the Tyson's nuggets, and hence had no protein to get him through the school day.  He got home, and we chucked a toy (there was also something about him throwing a book across the classroom and ending up in the Thinking Chair).  Then instead of making his bed when I sent him up, he passed out on it.  This of course meant that he was EVEN MORE of a disaster when it was time for he and Matt to go to allergy shots.  His shoes weren't tight enough.  He didn't want to.  His nose was running.  He wanted something to eat.  No not that.  Not that either.  I don't know WHAT I want, but it's not going to be what you're offering, dammit!  He couldn't stand up.  He couldn't walk.  NoooOOOOO!

SO, since Matt was going to be out and about with him, I volunteered to be Bad Guy and marched him out to the car - since he simply stood on the stoop when I pushed him out the front door, and didn't follow Matt to the car.  He ended up backing down the front walk, only moving when I stepped toward him.  When he got to the sidewalk he started crab walking to get to the car.  *sigh*  I buckled him in, yelled at him some more and then prayed that they wouldn't have some sort of fatal accident since I hadn't said I loved him.  Oy.

It's been a long time since he's had a day like that.  I'm so glad he's growing up and out of this crap.  I also can't decide if some of this is because his Betrothed moved away over spring break.  I don't want to bring it up in case it's NOT a problem, but I'm thinking about it...

edit 11:08am:  Matt also pointed out that at least one of his in-the-classroom-classmates moved over spring break as well...so there's ANOTHER void in his school day.