Well, recently I have had to admit to my family, and more importantly to myself, that I am neither Super Wife, Super Mom, nor Super Student.
Now that I've given my confession, let me back up and explain this bit of self discovery.
A couple of weeks ago, Baby Boy, Mom #2, and I had a nice long discussion about not living life at breakneck speed. That is why we insisted that Baby Boy take the summer session off from school this year. He has taken classes four semesters in a row and we often schooled year-round when we homeschooled. It's just time for him to take a little break and enjoy his young life. If he truly does end up in medicine as a career field, he has many many MANY more years of education ahead of him. He definitely needs to maintain a marathoner's mentality, instead of a sprinter's spirit.
I think this is sage advice, don't you? Seriously, I was pretty darn proud of myself when I came up with it. I even behaved pretty spectacularly (if I may say so myself) having a real live grown-up discussion with my newly adult son. I suggested he continue with his extra-curricular activities, do some volunteer work, heck even try to find a summer job. I had advice for days! Weeks! Months, even!
So, if I had such worthwhile advice to give to my son, then why, oh why, couldn't I apply that same logic to myself. As a matter of fact, Mom #2 gave me the exact same speech I delivered with such grace to Baby Boy. She said she missed my being fully engaged. She was tired of me conjugating los verbos en español all day every day, both while awake and asleep, as well as me spending every spare moment hunched over my books . . . she was in need of a summer with a real family.
It was a compelling and well thought out argument. A simple and sincere request. One I really needed to hear.
It was one I should have listened to.
Flash forward to me sitting in class on Monday absolutely exhausted and burned-out beyond all reason. I could barely comprehend what was going on. I have never felt so unprepared in my life. I was pining away to get outside in the beautiful weather and daydreaming about what Baby Boy and Mom #2 were up to.
Now, double flash forward to me sitting in class on Tuesday and looking at the big, fat, red F on my first quiz and trying not to cry in front of all the twelve year olds in my class. Actually, they would not have seen too much. Due to my newly acquired old-lady-eyes, I have become a permanent fixture on the front row of every classroom I walk into. *SIGH*
I went home and promptly submitted to a few choruses of "I told you so; I told you so" from both Mom #2 and Baby Boy, who actually found it rather amusing that I failed a quiz. Who the heck raised that kid?
Wednesday morning, I went to the administrator's office, withdrew from all my classes BEFORE the official reporting date, so I won't even have a W on my transcript; returned all my books for a FULL REFUND; and by that evening I was pounding clay and making defective coffee mugs in my super-new super-fun ceramics class. Talk about your summer enrichment!
Sometimes taking the long-way-round is the only way to get into the head of a stubborn Homeschool Mom, but it certainly is quite a ride.
Here's to SUMMER BREAK!
Until next time . . .
Ding Dong
1 week ago
