<p>To one special boy,
I'm sorry that things didn't work out and she decided to break up. You should move on and accept the idea that you two will be good friends sharing again nice moments. Stop being nasty, it bothers us, and it's hurting you. We can't change her mind and we won't try to do it, she is better now. We have nothing against you, we open our home to you if you need to talk, but please, a phone call would be nice, throwing paintballs at my house it is a nasty way to get our attention. I know you since you were a chubby and tiny little boy in your early school years, and I really miss having you around, but you are not longer that boy who used to fall asleep in my arms, you grew up, accept it, you are not longer in elementary school.
In the case you read this lines, Happy Birthday! Believe me, after so many years or baking your birthday's cakes and having parties for you, I'm sad that this had change, don’t think that I wished this to happen, it is not true.</p>
<p>To the teachers who encourage shy quirky kids- thank you from the depths of my heart.</p>
<p>To the teachers who can only bother mentoring the obvious stars- I'm sorry for your loss. You could have had a stable full of stars, if you'd just give ALL the kids a chance, a little push, and a good word.</p>
<p>(Do I have to forgive the guy who singlehandedly torpedoed my kid's self esteem?)</p>
<p>On a guy in his 20's it's pathetic.</p>
<p>ever seen a guy in his 50s wearing this?</p>
<p>I have
I assumed premature senility</p>
<p>Me, too, EK.</p>
<p>...or, regression to adolescence. Either way, and at any age, the message is dubious, i.m.o. Iconclasm I get. Experimentation I get. But looking as unsexy as possible, while simultaneously looking juvenile? (Don't get.)</p>
<p>Karen: No, you do not have to forgive professionals who are supposed to be a role model for all kids and teach all kids to their potential when they choose to love the popular crowd and hurt your kid!!</p>
<p>To Older Son's First Kindergarten Teacher, Whose Only Observation About Him, Ever, Was: "He's a behavior problem: he's rambunctious, he finishes his work too quickly, he rolls around on the floor and he interrupts" (Actually, he was lively, quick thinking, bored and trying to help the other kids):
THANK GOODNESS OTHER TEACHERS WHO "GOT HIM" and challenged him and funneled his energy and helped him with his natural maturing process, and for whom he was never, ever a behavior problem.</p>
<p>To the school system who decided that S#2 -- whose disabilities include anxiety issues similar to obsessive/compulsive disorder, language/communication/sensory issues that sometimes look like autism, learning disabilities concerning memory/word retrieval/processing/organizing and giftedness in math/spacial/IQ that can be scary high--- could get an appropriate education in its program for kids with severe emotional disturbance/disability even though every consultant and treating medical specialist said that program WOULD BE THE DEATH OF HIM mostly because of its punitive nature ...
ARRRGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not rocket science... he's thriving where he is now... it just takes... patience... and a middle school with 18 kids and 45 high school kids ... and classes of 4-10 kids with committed, smart teachers... who respect the kids and challenge them intellectually... where he can fail English and still get legitimate A's in math and science... and there can be a long term plan for success in English... without punishment or viewing it as "just" a behavior problem... and when he falls apart... it never escalates...because they don't punish him for having a hard time... they use it as a clue... it is a blip they problem solve around... And all the time, they are working with him to figure out how he might be able to get BACK into public school... someday...</p>
<p>yea... venting... next best thing to actual problem solving!</p>
<p>To all the people who congratulated me/us on S1's academic/scholarship success two years ago and are now quizzing me on S2's (h.s.jr) post high school plans...
Please spare me the shocked look and practically dropped jaw when I tell you that S2 really doesn't know what he will do upon graduation, that 4 year college is a possibility but Comm. college is more likely since he really doesn't have the grades,stats, or motivation at this point to be successful at a 4 yr. college.<br>
Yes, S1 was a star student with great everything but S2 is not his brother and never will be. So please stop asking me if S2 is going to "follow in his brother's footsteps". The answer is no. He never has and never will so stop acting as if he has a terminal disease when I say he'll probably attend Community College. Don't feel sorry for him. He'll be fine.</p>
<p>^ Boy does that sound like our story, too, PackMom... So permit me to continue.</p>
<p>To everyone who asks me excitedly whether S#2 is following his brother to MIT in the fall, and then stumbles and tries to figure out what to say when I mention S#2's plans to attend a small regional school you never heard of on the opposite coast of the US: take a chill pill and learn to smile. We'd appreciate your congratulations, thanks, and maybe a polite question or two. We aren't looking for sympathy or "there, there", as if somehow this is a consolation prize for him. He's really, really excited about his plans, he'll be near his favorite uncle and NYC and friends from CTY, his program is great and he's had the red carpet rolled out for him at his school in half a dozen ways, and we're happy for him. It would be especially nice if you could be, too.</p>
<p>And stop saying the name of the school wrong!</p>
<p>Yay for CTY friends! D found out that 2 friends that were in her same class/session/dorm floor for 2 successive years at Lancaster are going to be at her college, awaiting her arrival. Yay!</p>
<p>OK, let the venting continue!!!</p>
<p>mootmom, hmmm, small school, hard to pronounce, near NYC.... can't be renssaeler, it's not small! what school is your son going to? I'm sure it's a great choice for him.</p>
<p>(Sorry for the aside: dmd77, he'll be at Fairleigh Dickinson in Madison, NJ. Apparently everyone in California believes it is "Farley" Dickinson, sigh. Yes, let the venting continue!)</p>
<p>And the correct pronounciation is???? p.s. I still don't get how to say Bowdouin, either (did I even spell it correctly?)</p>
<p>It's
Fairly Dickinson (or as we called in at my high school (in PA) Fairly Ridiculous)
and
Bowdin (as in bow-tie and a loud noise)</p>
<p>Fairleigh Dickinson is a great school!</p>
<p>I remember seeing this thread and there is something that I had to write, before the end of the year, and what a great day to (mothers day!) </p>
<p>To the soccer coach at HS. S1 was very passionate about both soccer and baseball, he always was and always would have been if not for you. You never accepted him being on both the HS's soccer team and baseball team, even though he made great commitments to both, so you forced him to choose. S, loved playing soccer but he loved playing baseball even more. So he quit. When his twin sisters came into the school and tried out for the soccer team you gave them the hardest time, pointed out every flaw and rubbed it into their faces. You didn't put them on the team and instead gave the spot to a kid who openly admitted he had no interest in soccer, had no motivation, and no enthusiasm. My S has thankfully moved past this and as a rising senior has had amazing accomplishments as captain of the baseball team and would have put just as much into the soccer team had you not cornered him hoping he'd quit baseball. My daughters are also doing great and since have also acheived much on the baseball and swimming team. My two other kids in a few years will be at this HS and thank god that they don't like soccer.</p>
<p>Happy Mother's day!</p>
<p>I just re-read a lot of this thread (trying to figure out where I last left off) and I'm seeing a theme here: We're p<em>ssed at all the people who tried to "box" our kids, to pre-judge them, to decide early on, before they had become real people, what they were, Either because of how they actually were in kindergarten, or because of how their older sibs were, or because of something else. When our kids turned out to belie those expectations, it's makes us pleased with our kids -- but also angry as h</em>ll with those adults who tried to "box" our kids.</p>
<p>Well, that's probably not particularly profound; it just seemd to be a recurring theme here.</p>
<p>I noticed it was a theme in some of the posts. But other than this soccer coach, I have had a great experience with the kids teachers since my kids shared some of the same teachers. (All 5 had the same English teacher for 6th grade) and I still keep in touch with them and they love to hear how the kids are doing. I did understand how this soccer coach would have wanted S1 to dedicate himself to one sport, but he was able to be commited to both sports and was at all the practices, games, etc. And then he took it out on my daughters, which bothered me for a while. I talked to some other moms and this is not the first time he has done something of this nature. </p>
<p>I for one am just glad its behind me! Happy Mother's Day (again)!</p>
<p>Dear world,</p>
<p>It's not funny to reject gifts to someone's face (among other problems I have with the living). Parents, please raise your kids to understand this. Make sure they raise your grandkids to understand this so the tradition of appropriate behavior continues. </p>
<p>Happy day!!
Dead people (I work with remains, yes), on the other hand, are awesome; they don't hurt your feelings. :)</p>
<p>In no particular order, and some of these may be out of date:
To an un-named Bay Area public school: You offer honors, etc. everything for math and science. English honors wouldn't be that hard, either. But then again, everyone thinks their child is brilliant in everything, so you might actually have to <em>gasp</em> reject people. And why are the social clubs still allowed to exist on campus? Sure they're disallowed, but not really.
To random West Coast non-academics: please don't look at me like I'm nuts just because you cannot pronounce my undergrad college name.<br>
To Columbia grad admissions: what's with the patronizing rejection letter? Never mind I was already in the top-ranked program in the country, I didn't need to hear that this rejection was going to greatly distress me.</p>
<p>This is a good finals-week activity!</p>
<p>Darling, if I put a Mother's Day ad for cell phones inside your lap top a week before the date, it's probably a HINT.</p>
<p>Mom and Dad,</p>
<p>I don't think it's entirely fair that you expect me to apply for summer jobs from across the Atlantic when I've never even been to Geneva, or entirely rational that you apparently expect that someone there will hire me out of charity (mom, I'm sorry, but I refuse to prostitute myself on your work mailing list begging for any work that anyone will give me). It isn't my fault that my US work authorization card expired and you waited until last week to find out how to renew it, an arduous process that's too late to start now, when I've reminded you repeatedly for the past half a year. How do you expect me to put myself through college-- with your generous gift of one-third of our $22,000 family contribution-- when there is apparently no way for me to find employment?</p>
<p>Regards,
Your frustrated, bewildered, and broke daughter</p>