I think I hate school more than my kids. Hard to believe, but it's true.
I resent how much work they assign and that most of it requires parental help. I also wish they would take their "reasonable" amount of homework, multiply it by 3 kids and divide by one parent. If I wanted to teach my kids myself, I'd go back to homeschooling and would use the tuition savings to take an awesome vacation with my husband. See, I want the TEACHER to teach them now. Thanks.
I wish I could just hate school and ignore it, like #1. But, because I am an overachiever and a mom, I know it important to have good grades no matter what asinine topics they are covering. How am I going to explain his transcript to another school? Between the subjects and his grades, oy vey.
It is exam week for #1 and he is taking 3 tests on Thursday. He is going into one of them with a 55. Yup. The other two sunjects are passing grades, but far from stellar. But he wants to go to his scout meeting Wed night because there is a campout this weekend. It was an "Are you JOKING???" moment. Sometimes I think Catholic school is wasted on him, or at least the academics are. But I think if I put him in public school, he'd make friends with the other kids who don't like school and probably never graduate.
I am reading a book called "Superparenting for ADD." Right there, it confirms my belief that any mere mortal would have a hard time parenting my two oldest kids. (#5 is also a terror, but she three and that's unrelated to this train of thought.) It is really a good book, informative and amusing. I have gained a few new insights from it, which is impressive because I read a lot on this topic.
I had a chance to read some more of it today while I was sitting in the driveway in the car while #6 napped in her carseat. (Yes, if that is what it takes, that is what I will do.) I had already read a fantastic part about the key role of parents and how the "cure" for ADD was love and support. It reminded me that my primary mission in life is to love those kids, not as I want them to be, but as they are. Sounds obvious, but it is so hard to completely accept a child when you just can't understand what keeps them from acting "appropriately." The underlying urge to improve them is very strong.
Today, I hit a great chapter. It discussed how ADD is always discussed as a negative, but as a parent (with all-accepting love and support) I have to take all that negative feedback and find the positive side. They called it being a mirror.
My son is easily distracted. Or is he exceptionally aware of his surroundings and any change in it?
My son is overly emotional. Or is he sensitive and passionate?
My son doesn't stay on topic. Or does he make connections to other things that "normal" people don't immediately see?
It really isn't just semantics, because the second set is much more accurate. Doctors and school administrators don't always have time to know each child, so the child is painted with the broad brushstrokes of the behaviors listed in the DSM. Bothof my sons will both focus (and thrive!) when drawn in by a skilled teacher (or their own interest) and challenged.
The title of the blog was drawn out from that chapter. With exams stressing me out more than they stress out my son, I have to keep looking for the pony. He will get grades that tell him he isn't good enough, but I need to convince him he is. To make it believable, I need to convince myself.
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