As told to me first hand by a family member who is an ER doctor:
Doctor: (to 21 y.o. female): “Well, the tests show that you are pregnant. That is why you are vomiting.”
Patient: “Pregnant? How is that possible?”
Doctor: “Well…Usually…”
Dear Grand Pumba of the Universe,
I believe you exist. I know I don’t understand your ways. If you are at all open to tweaking the world, may I suggest one big thing to consider? Kids should never get cancer, esp good kids who do everything right and offer so much promise to our society, but really, any kid as they’re just learning their way around this planet. I can understand the middle aged (or older) person who smokes, is a couch potato, and/or regularly diets on Twinkies and hot dogs with bacon toppings, but it tears my heart out when I see awesome kids having to deal with it. Can you fix that please? Oodles of researchers are trying - please give them wisdom and insight.
Thanks,
A teacher who loves working with teens, but hates the day when news like this raises its ugly head
I need to make more time for making things (like art) and less time for doing things ( like a to do list).
Sometimes dancing around the living room and singing at the top of your lungs to George Michael’s Freedom is just plain necessary.
I’m really sorry. I should have taken better care of you.
Focus on the patterns of past behavior. This is where you will find the best predictor of the future.
Reminder to self.
So… you got waitlisted at your number one choice school. And your College Placement counselor recommended that you write a letter, and get one from one of your teachers.
You asked me on Wednesday. I happily agreed, but asked for a resume/ brag sheet… something. Anything. Your major. Why you want that school. Anything. You’ve known me since September and know I wouldn’t quibble about the formatting.
I sent you a reminder email on Friday.
Well, it’s Sunday morning. And I still have nothing from you. I just emailed you a second reminder.
Here’s what I have on tap this week: I’m tutoring 3 times after school. I’m testing every one of my 160+ students, and quizzing them as well… and you know I always get the papers back the next day. I’m working detention after school Tuesday, then I have a to be at Registration from 4-8. You know I have to be at Senior night on Thursday. My daughter’s big Sweet 16 party is Friday night, and I have some mom stuff to do.
None of that is your concern, of course. But I’m not going to have a spare minute between now and a week from tomorrow.
So if I don’t get your info by about noon today, it’s on a back burner for at least a week.
If that’s OK with you, fine. If not, then could you PLEASE get me the stuff I asked for, so that I can help you??
I’m starting to wonder: who is more concerned about you getting into that school-- you or me??
So you really think you have everything you have and have accomplished everything you’ve accomplished because of your own efforts and no one else’s? Really. What would happen if I stopped doing everything I do for you? What would happen if my parenting went straight to the basics, hmmm? I suggest you become really really grateful and really really humble really really fast or your future - both long term and short - is going to look really, really different. I’m your mother, not your doormat.
Dear Mom and Dad,
I know you’re really proud of your grandchild and all she has accomplished. She IS quite accomplished. She’s also quite mean, so mean my kids and their other cousins don’t want anything to do with her. What she did to my kid is unforgivable. Last night when you sat at our table happily burbling about this cousin’s latest triumph in front of my kid, whose reputation she publicly and falsely trashed for no reason other than that she’s a little snot, it took every ounce of control in my body not to shut the conversation down. I was proud of my kid for not interrupting your happiness. We all love you and we will let you go to your grave proudly thinking the cousin is a delight.
The effort it took to 1) encourage you to go to that stupid dance and 2) NOT say a single, solitary word about how many weeks remain in the semester, and how badly you need to get your feet back under you in that one class, and then 3) STILL not say a word when you said you thought your time might be better spent studying was epic.
And then you had a fairly crappy time at the dance anyway, and more effort went into not helping you catastrophize about it, just joining DH in acknowledging that yeah, each of us had certainly been to parties and left feeling as if cleaning our rooms or studying would have been a better choice.
But you know what? You got up cheerfully this morning, actually smiling, and started attacking the work for that class. So maybe the effort wasn’t wasted.
Or maybe I just want an adulting medal for actually not saying the wrong thing, for once.
Ugh, I wish my ex-fiance from college wasn’t a mutual friend on Facebook. It’s so weird seeing him commenting in the same threads that I am, even if we broke up a million years ago!
Dear church treasurer: you are an employee of the church. It is not your job to criticize the organist via email to the church governing board sent at 10:30 at night. And the few digs you put in against the secretary were nasty too. I happen to agree with some of your points but will not let you know that.
And the reason we print hymns in the bulletin is so that we can sing something written after 1945.
And oh, the reason my office doors are now locked is because you have been harping about my clutter. Yes I shoud be neater. But it’s gonna be locked against you now.
Yeah, snow day - no work for me.
I think it’s funny that we get as excited as we do about snow days in our 50s. There was a group text going around last night and we were all crossing fingers, etc.
People talk about how pretty snow is, but that is the last thing I want for commuters like me!
Your lying and manipulation are catching up with you. Don’t think I didn’t notice you told me something totally different than you shared with DH. And if your dental procedure was going to be so bad, perhaps you should have asked one of us to go with you, instead of scheduling the appointment with a few days notice and then being passive aggressive that you are alone. I’m sure the family member who lives within driving distance, instead of hours away by flight, would have been happy to help but you didn’t tell her either. You have officially become Chicken Little and now we never know if the sky is truly falling or you are just being your usual manipulative narcissistic self. And shame on me for losing sleep over it last night!
Found out the friend’s kid who had mental breakdown right after college graduation is now well enough to start his full time job.
Also, found out a friend who is allergic to basically everything was diagnosed with glaucoma. They don’t know what treatment will be safe because of the allergies.
I’m only in season two as part of the CC community.
The Ivy league obsession and top 20 or (pick your number) back and forth makes me wonder if it’s not time to move on. It seems led by former grads or parents of current students than the kids. No wonder the students are obsessed with the rankings.
Welp, I bombed my first video job interview at a really great company for a job I am completely qualified to do and would have been a great fit. It stinks that I havent interviewed in over 20 years but I have all these new skills, experience, and graduated top of the class. Who cares if I cant sell my accomplishments! So annoying. (I’ll get better…just need to vent this!!!)
14
Not sure what to think or how this is going to work. I told you I can’t work full time for some time. We spend at least a week per month with mom and will do so until her end. That could be next week - or, if we’re really lucky, another year or two. We just don’t know. Med school lad has his last full week off for a long time this spring and we’re taking him to the Caribbean. It’s already paid for.
Yet you tell me no one has even applied for the math position and you’ve asked around at various colleges, etc. Classes start next week. You need me for the semester. You’re willing to work around whatever needs I have to be away.
How in the world is this going to work? There are no other subs who can actually teach math - or even really help with math when I’m gone. That’s why you like me working part time. I can fill in math/science as needed and keep classes moving. Now you want me to return to full time, but it’s not going to be anywhere close to full time. I won’t give up time with my mom or son.
Yeah, new territory… and I have to get things ready for classes that start on Tuesday with one week’s notice and a potential snowstorm this weekend. Fortunately the other math teachers are friends and will let me glean! I know it’s going to bug me if I can’t make it work well for both the students and my mom. I’m not much of a perfectionist - except when it comes to providing a decent education and now I also feel that way about helping mom. I’m not sure the two can be done together with mom eight hours away from us.
What are the chances you can find someone who can do and wants the job in this last week? (sigh)