Be True To Your School

School functions.  When your kids are little, and not in school yet, they sound fun.  I just couldn't wait to be able to go on school field trips/be a homeroom mom/carpool.  It sounds so fun - and it is!  There are frustrating times, like when literally you are saying goodnight to your child at the very end of the night and they tell you that - by the way - they need a pair of black dress pants by tomorrow - a work day - at 4:00.  Or when they tell you they need an angel costume for a Christmas play.  An angel in a Christmas play!  How cute is that?!?!?  Do you know that at Christmas there is no place to buy an angel costume?

Warning:  I am about to get off track, if this bothers you feel free to skip this paragraph.  My daughter Tatum actually did get to be the cutest angel in the whole world for her 1st grade Christmas play, and I actually could not find a costume anywhere.  And Pinterest wasn't around yet to teach us how to DIY, so what do you do?  The answer is to talk about it in a crowded beauty shop while you are getting your hair cut.  That's what I did and a woman - I am not kidding you - sitting behind me actually had a child's angel costume in her trunk.  For real.  She said she kept costumes in her trunk, and I am not going to question that because it was the most beautiful costume and I was so grateful that I just took it and thanked the Good Lord.

But back to school functions.  One of the most highly anticipated school functions is when your child first starts kindergarten, and has their first concert.  In my case it was my 5 year old step son, and we were so excited.  We got there early to get a front seat and get our cameras charged and ready to go.  Smiles plastered on our faces arms half up just ready to wave anytime he happened to look our way.  We wanted everyone to know which kid was ours, and agree with us that he was cute and talented and just as perfect as we always knew he was.  First he walked into the gym with the rest of his class, behind their teacher, like the perfect adorable genius that he was.  Then he walked up to the risers, and glanced our way at which point a chorus of arms just a waved away.  The piano player fired up and the singing began.  And perfect genius didn't sing.  One word.  Then he started mixing his not singing with making faces.  Inappropiate faces.  And gestures.  And bad embarrassing dancing.  Slowly our eager arms sunk down and our faces fell.  Suddenly we didn't want anyone knowing which kid was ours.

Later on, we had another child - a girl.  And when she got into elementary school I signed up to be the classroom mom.  That job has it's perks.  I have always loved a good classroom holiday party.  One year when she was in the 5th grade, I was in charge of the Christmas party.  It was really special.  The kids were good and loved all the games.  I introduced them to the dirty santa game, where everyone gets a present and then they can make someone else trade and stick them with something embarrassing.  That game always promises fun.  Then later, the teacher introduced the class to a dance called The Cupid Shuffle.  We as a class danced our hearts out to that song, over and over again.  So much that by the time the kids had learned it, she called the principal down to see them, who had them (and teacher and classroom mom) go out in the hall to demonstrate their dance for the whole 4th and 5th grade hallway.


Then their are other parties which are special for different reasons.  Like the Valentine's Day party where the teacher told me at the last minute that in the past, the classroom mom has always brought pizzas for the class to have a pizza party.  Told me this at the last minute.  Do you know how many pizzas that is??  To raise the $ for a kajillion pizzas, and find a place that will make that many at once for you, then have to carry a million pizza boxes all the way through the parking lot, to the office, down the hall to the classroom.  I told those kids to eat up, enjoy it, and be appreciative.  If even ONE KID had complained about something.....

Our daughter is in Jr. High now, and chaperoning has been taken to a whole new level.  Gone are the classroom parties, with their last minute food demands, and I can't say that I'm sorry.  Now my husband Bret and I find ourselves with the new breed of school chaperoning.  And that is backstage chaperone at plays, and chaperoning field trips.

Backstage at a play covered in jr. high kid hormones, is probably one of the scariest things on the planet.  I've seen things.  Things you don't even want to hear about.  Not because there is anything wrong with it, you just seriously don't even want to hear about it.  But here is a sample anyway.  There is a certain boy that a certain girl likes.  Boy doesn't know girl exists.  "Every other girl" likes boy too and to me, I just thought boy seemed a little overwhelmed.  But girl "was just going to give up on him and have a broken heart".  Until boy came backstage twice quietly asking for costume help.  Girl hip checks a dozen other helpful young ladies out of the way so she can help boy.  Then maybe cried after about how boy doesn't know she is alive, ect.  I heard later on that they did do some sort of extra curricular event after school one day, and it was no big deal and they have forgotten about each other now.



We have also had lots of fun chaperoning trips.  A couple of years ago we got to chaperone a trip to Washington D.C.   It was a once in a lifetime experience, one that I will never forget.  One of the places that we went was the Smithsonian museum of Natural History.  We formed a large group of parents and 6th graders.  Probably my favorite thing I saw was some rich little girl's amazing dollhouse from the early 20th century.  It was about as big as my real house and had electricity in a time that most families didn't have electiricy in their real homes.  We also saw Kermit The Frog, the costume from Wicked & Dorothy's ruby red slippers.  Now my daughter Tatum is usually shy and reserved around adults and just goes with the flow, doesn't speak up too much.  But she saw a diamonds and gemstones display a couple of floors up and drug our whole party into an elevator to go see it.   I have never been more proud.  If ever there is a reason for a shy girl to speak up and take initiative, it is for good jewelry. So here we are, this big group of adults and kids on what must be the slowest, yet most smooth elevator ride I have ever been on.  After a good minute we still weren't two floors up, and we got scared that we were stuck.  Until upon further investigation we realized that no one had hit a button, and we were still sitting on the same floor.  That's what  diamond and gemstone anticipation will do to you!  They had the hope diamond there, and I had to wait in line to see it.  Wasn't the necklace in Titanic based on the Hope Diamond?  I thought so, and so in honor I had to act out a couple of scenes from Titanic while waiting in line. Everyone around me were really good sports.

I love this quote-“Once in a while our school has half days, and the teachers spend the afternoon 'in service,' which I think must be a group therapy for having to deal with us.” 
― Neal Shusterman, Bruiser  God bless all the teachers!  They deserve to get 6 figures a year.

I Loved You At Your Darkest

Romans 5:8