End of the Year Blues

So…Rob and I are away this week on a little marriage vacation, but have been texting/emailing/FaceTiming and Google chatting with the kids(and hoping we won’t have a $500++ bill when we get home)

Last night I was on FaceTime with Zach and Josh when Gabe called through on Google Chat (with Zandra and Sam) and we got all the screens together so we could talk – all 7 of us. So cute! (Even though 4 of them go to the same school, it appears they are too busy with friends to ask “Did you get invited to Grace’s graduation party?” so had to do it through the screens and the thousands of miles away).

Anyhow.

In one of my conversations with Zach, I happened to ask if he was getting in trouble at school (it’s the kind of question I have to ask every couple of days. His teacher has zero tolerance for talking – especially from him – and Zach has zero ability to not talk).

He responded with a long, drawn out story about how he HAD in fact, JUST that day, got in a teeny bit of trouble. End result: the teacher said he felt it was time to have another meeting with his parents.

Here’s my question:

Is it wrong that my first reaction was “Oh please. I’m not dealing with another meeting. School is almost over and you are changing schools next year anyhow” ??

I thought it might not be the best reaction – as it is serious business. (But seriously, we have 3 brutal weeks of school left before he graduates from this school…)

I do take this kind of thing seriously, so I think my next reaction was the right one  (maybe?) :

Tell your teacher that your parents are away (Rob and I are away, and Zach’s Dad is also away on business) but your grandparents are taking care of you and would be more than happy to meet with him.

My ex-in laws (Zach and Josh’s grandparents) are in fact watching them, and from what I have heard in the past, they had to deal with a lot of teachers about Zach’s Dad when he was little, so I figured they could handle it! Is that wrong to put that on them??

Zach didn’t think it was a good idea. He decided he’d stay quiet (ha) and hope the whole thing blows over.

Good idea.

Not a stellar parenting moment of mine, but end of the year has worn me down:)

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Comments

End of the Year Blues — 18 Comments

  1. This is a really funny one!!!!!!!

    Lucky you this stuff does not stress you out too much on vacation. This is the kind of thing that stresses Hubby and I alot and we end up having to then ground our kid and making our sitter or granparents life even harder while we are away.

    Good and hilarious post!
    Tarina

  2. I think your reaction was natural! We have three days left of school here – if a teacher asked me for a meeting, I’d say, “What the heck is the point anyway?”

  3. Oh yes, I’d have passed it on too – after all, they’re there right now and you’re not 🙂
    Hope that it’d all blow over and you’ll have a great summer!

  4. Totally think it would be fine to pass it off to the grandparents, and I cannot believe that this close to the end of school she would honestly suggest a meeting over talking. Good GOD.-Ashley

  5. I think it’s totally fine that that was your first reaction. It would probably be mine as well. From the other side of the fence, I’ll just say be careful how you approach it with your child, and I think you were. I have one student whose mother just doesn’t see that he is not the perfect little angel at school. The child she sees when she visits is NOT the child I have when she’s not there. He has been awful the last week… talking and disrespectful and with the eye rolling I’m getting, I would bet money that she told him it’s the end of the year and he needs to deal with it because it’s almost over… but he’s 8, so he not capable of hiding it and just dealing and he needs to be respectful and stop talking and whining! Of course, I haven’t called home for the same reason… it’s the end of the year and it won’t change now!

    Okay, I obviously needed to vent.

    • Oh I already know he is not a perfect little angel. I’m wary of every mother who talks about how great her kid is and doesn’t acknowledge his/her shortcomings. And we do talk a lot about respect, self control, timing etc. I also know Zach’s main problem is enthusiasm as opposed to disrespect…thanks for sharing “the other side”!!

  6. My Fiona sounds like your Zach and she is always busted for talking. Call me the most disinterested mother ever (as far as these school issues go) but she’s not going to stop talking just because I have another conference with the teacher! I think there is only so much a parent can do – especially when we are not there with them for those 6 hours while they are in school. I would have reacted the same way as you!

  7. I think at this point in the school year, a meeting isn’t going to accomplish much. Hopefully that will be the end of it, and you can all have a lovely summer. 🙂

  8. First of all, I hope you are enjoying your vacation! Second, I think you’re on to something…His grandparents might have to go talk to the teacher, now he will tow the line and not talk..And, no, I don’t think it’s bad if you ask his grandparents to go in. It takes a village…I don’t know, I think kids need more breaks during the school day to get their energy out–especially at the end of the school year.

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