{"id":16908,"date":"2018-05-24T19:17:30","date_gmt":"2018-05-25T00:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/familyblog.datdec.com\/?p=16908"},"modified":"2018-05-24T19:21:45","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T00:21:45","slug":"parenting-is-hard-and-other-goings-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familyblog.datdec.com\/?p=16908","title":{"rendered":"Parenting is hard, and other goings on"},"content":{"rendered":"

First the deep thoughts:\u00a0 Eve’s spring concert is tonight.\u00a0 It will be her last concert ever at DBS. Guess where she was?\u00a0 Home.\u00a0 She went to school today, participated in the dress rehearsal and even smiled through most of it.\u00a0 Then she got to the library and said, “Please, please, I don’t want to go to the concert.\u00a0 Please let me stay home tonight.”\u00a0 Sigh.\u00a0 I had a meeting and sub plans to write, so I told her we’d talk about it later.\u00a0 Later came in the car ride home and I told her my true, honest thoughts.\u00a0 I was (and still am) conflicted by what is the “right” thing to do.\u00a0 On the one hand, I know she doesn’t love band, and she stuck with it all the way through the dress rehearsal, and truthfully I was tired and not interested in going to the concert either.\u00a0 I’d already seen the dress rehearsal.\u00a0 Skipping it is easy, but on the other hand, what lesson is that teaching?\u00a0 Shouldn’t I be emphasizing the importance of following through, sticking with it to the very end, supporting your classmates and school, and just showing up?\u00a0 I know those are all good habits to have.<\/p>\n

The day was busy and the schedule had me getting home around 4:30, all three of us leaving for drum lessons at 5pm, and then getting back to DBS for the concert by 6:15.\u00a0 Eve and I got home from school and found Lex at the table, completely stressing because he remembered a homework packet that he was supposed to be working on all week, but had forgotten.\u00a0 That, plus a group project assignment that is due tomorrow and he is not happy at all with his group, therefore feeling frustrated by the whole thing.\u00a0 We talked through the plans and around 4:45 I just said f*ck it and we bailed on everything.\u00a0 Then I laid down on the couch and fell asleep for an hour!<\/p>\n

Was that the “right” thing to do?\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 I certainly think it was for this evening.\u00a0 But whether it was the right thing to do when you look at the bigger pictures, I don’t know.\u00a0 Should Lex have gone to that lesson because we committed to it and (likely) won’t get the money back for it?\u00a0 Should he have had a bigger consequence for not remembering his homework?\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 It’s 7:52 at the moment and he’s still working on it! (with a dinner break in there too)\u00a0 Am I teaching my kids to bail when things are too hard?\u00a0 Or to prioritize their own mental health?\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 These are all rhetorical questions because I *do* know there is no manual for parenting and no clear, black and white answers.\u00a0 We’re all in this together, doing the best we can with what we’ve got.\u00a0 And today, I needed a nap.<\/p>\n

Now for the lighter stuff:\u00a0 Here are some photos from the past few weeks.\u00a0 Life, overall, is quite good.\u00a0 We have 13 more school days until summer vacation.\u00a0 We have some camps planned for the kids, some conferences and professional development for me, and some downtime.\u00a0 We are all looking forward to it.\u00a0 Even Alan gets to sleep later on vacation days.<\/p>\n

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Eve made me this weird pot decoration for Mother’s Day. She filled it with sticks of gum, but I know she originally bought Twizzlers to put in it and I’m pretty sure they ended up in her belly instead.<\/p><\/div>\n

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It has been on the counter since she gave it to me and the more I look at it the more I like it. :) It is a sweet reminder to the little girl she is. The little girl who loves her mommy.<\/p><\/div>\n

My parents were in town last weekend and we all went to a magic show.\u00a0 It was fun.\u00a0 Eve met a friend there and bought him a magic kit from the gift shop table.\u00a0 He was so excited.\u00a0 He was there with his grandma and the kids were thrilled to see each other.<\/p>\n

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The Magic of Bill Blagg!<\/p><\/div>\n

Today I saw his grandma at the concert dress rehearsal and she handed me a package for Eve.\u00a0 She said she was so moved by Eve’s thoughtfulness.<\/p>\n

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I love this note.<\/p><\/div>\n

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My life is to make miracles. I’m a magician.<\/p><\/div>\n

The concert dress rehearsal went well.\u00a0 I was there with wiggly kindergartners, but able to get a few pics of my own kid.<\/p>\n

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She *can* play the flute when she tries. :)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Singing. Her last concert at DBS and she’s wearing shorts and Navy swag.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Banging sticks on chairs. Is there a musical term for that??<\/p><\/div>\n