Saturday, April 13, 2013

On raising Calvin... x 2.

The boy got off the bus the other afternoon, chatted a bit about his day and "Oh, you're probably going to get a phone call this afternoon.  I've got homework! Bye!"

{Sigh}

Sure enough, there in his folder was a note.  Making inappropriate remarks and she'd be calling.  We've danced this dance before, she and I.  I think she over-reacts.  She thinks our son has too few boundaries.  A disconnected two-step with neither of us telling the other how to do her job but both of us wanting to.

Following my conversation with her, the boy and I sat down for our own talk.  More of the same...think   things through before you speak.  Please.  And no more cursing at school.  Or anywhere, really.  Please? Thanks.

Yesterday, while out running various errands with both kiddos in tow, the subject of what Is and Is Not  Appropriate came up.  They were starting to throw out goofy suggestions and my patience was wearing thin...moderating them and navigating unfamiliar roads has that effect.

You're a bright kiddo, son.  You know what's appropriate and what's not at school.

Like playing a joke on my friends and asking them to spell Grass but without the G and R?

Before I could even answer, the wee girl chimes in...

You mean Ass?

5:30 traffic and I'm banging my head on the steering wheel.

I cannot be the only mom of a 5 and 7 year old who spends rush hour traffic time conversing with her children over the history of the word Ass and why it is now considered a Bad Word.  But, somehow, I don't think there are very many of us.

2 comments:

Marit said...

i would love to meet your kids some day, i think they'd make delightful company!

Soozcat said...

When my brother Dan was seven years old, the movie "The One And Only" was showing at our local theater. As we drove past, my brother read the marquee and announced to my mom, "Hey, Mom, look! It's 'The One And Only' with that f***er Henry Winkler!"

My mom, bless her, did her best to remain calm. "What was that you said, Danny?"

He repeated his comment, all innocence.

"Where did you hear that word?" Mom asked.

"Oh, it's just something that guys say at school."

Mom then did her best to explain, without going into gory definitive details, that this was a very, very bad word.

"Is it worse than 'shut up?'" Danny asked. He knew that around our house you could get in big trouble for yelling "shut up" at your siblings.

"Yes, it's worse. Much, MUUUUUCH worse," said Mom.

"Oh. Well... then I'll never say it again," said Danny, and to his credit I never have heard that particular word out of his mouth again. But every time I see Henry Winkler in something I get a certain involuntary phrase in my head... sorry, Mr. Winkler. Apparently it's just something that guys say at school...