So, yesterday was my last day with students. It was a bit of a
bittersweet feeling, because even though I don’t see them in person, when I
work with kids for a year, I build a certain bond with them. I got some nice e-mails from my kiddos,
thanking me for helping them this year, and even a couple letters from
appreciative parents. That’s always a good feeling, because as my fellow
teachers can tell you, teaching can be a thankless job at times. But I’ve been
lucky to work with families, and teachers that are very supportive and
appreciate collaborative efforts to help students improve. Anyway, that meant
that today was primarily a paperwork day. Those are the hardest days for me,
because my self-diagnosed ADD kicks in, and I jump from one task to another,
without completing anything! Oh well, I have another week to get everything
finished. Honestly, I’ve got about 2 days of work, and a full week to complete
it. I’m determined not to procrastinate and do it at the very end of next week!
Okay, enough of the boring stuff. Today I got back to the gym, which I
have unintentionally avoided for the last two weeks. It felt great to get my muscles
moving again, although I’m sure I will be sore tomorrow! When I dropped Charley
off at the daycare area, she started crying. This has been her pattern for the
last two weeks or so. She’s gotten to be a little clingy with me, for one
reason or another. Last week she cried through her entire gymnastics class,
which is crazy, because it’s her favorite thing to do during the week! I know
it’s just a stage, but I hope it passes soon. I thought about Charley when I was in the
locker room, too, as I overheard a conversation between a mom and her teenage daughter
that literally made me cringe.
Mom: Well, you know, your dad gets to do all the fun stuff. He takes you
kids on vacations, and to do all kinds of fun things, and has photos taken of
you. I have to pay for everything. I don’t have any money to pay for fun stuff
for you. Now I’m going to have to pay for this summer camp!
Daughter: Well, do you want me to ask Dad if he can pay for camp?
Mom: Well, I mean, if you wouldn’t mind. That would be great. He seems to
have a lot of money, and I don’t have any money. And I’m the one working my
butt off to pay for the everyday bills!
Daughter: Ok, Mom, I’ll ask him.
Okay, seriously? While I might have this internal dialogue all the time,
and vocalize it to my friends, I would NEVER let Charley get involved in my
finances or opinions about her father. This mother made me really upset,
because as the child of divorced parents, I know that regardless of how hard
parents try to keep kids out of their personal issues, there is still a sense
of being caught in the middle. It just can’t be prevented. But parents CAN make
it worse, and that’s exactly what this mother did. She put her child in the
middle and asked her to take care of something she should have addressed
herself. I was irritated. Even though things aren’t always rosy with Charley’s
dad, and I might address certain issues with him from time to time, I would
never ask my child to address those issues for me. Ugh. BAD parenting. But it showed me exactly what NOT to do with Charley!
Anyway, I think my annoyance from the conversation made me work out a
little bit harder. And my mood improved greatly when Betty White’s Off Their
Rockers came on the TV at the gym. I’ve only seen one episode of this show in
my life, and I’d forgotten how amusing it is. I had to stop myself from
laughing out loud and falling off the treadmill, when a “blind” man started
throwing bird seed on a couple of twenty-something women. It was hilarious.
Totally distracted me from the fact that my legs were burning because I’ve been
a lazy bum who hasn’t worked out in weeks!
I haven’t talked about my dating life much lately, and honestly it’s
because it’s been going well. I met a nice guy, and I don’t want to jinx it! So
that’s all the information I’m going to provide… Ha!
Funny story for the day...I went to McDonald's to get a Diet Coke today. I try not to keep soda in the house, because if it's there, I drink it, which I don't like to do every day. Anyway, as I was pulling up to pick up my drink, I could see the drive-through guy bouncing his head up and down, probably showing off for some girl he was working with. It was amusing...especially when he wasn't paying attention and hit his head on the top of the drive-through window. He immediately grabbed his head and cringed. I laughed. I pulled up, and he asked, "Are you laughing at me?" I said, "A little bit." He replied," Yeah, I'd be laughing at me, too." It kind of made my day, even though I know it probably hurt. Ha!
Tonight, my girlfriends are out for pizza and drinks. My coaching friends
are at the gym, for adult tumbling. And me? I’m sitting on the couch, blogging.
Unfortunately, it’s just hard to get out at 8:00 on a Thursday night, because
my family works, and it’s kind of late to get a sitter. Charley has gotten into
a pretty good bed time routine, and I am trying to keep it consistent. I know
it’s easy to get lax in the summer, but it’s important to me that she has some
structure. So, I’ll take one for the team, and stay home with my munchkin. And
seeing as she’s in bed, I’m pretending that I’m out with my girlfriends, and
enjoying a glass of wine. Cheers!
