I’m not squeamish when it comes to most things, but my cat came into my room last night, and I knew instantly that she had a mouse somewhere in her digestive system. I screamed like a maniac as she burped it out. Then I had to, well, remove said mouse, which involved more hysteria and paper towels and a CVS bag. I accidentally dropped it on the floor by the front door, then carried the bag to the trash thinking the mouse was inside, only to find it on the floor where I’d left it.
I finished the deed, and now I’m snuggling with the little devil right now.
We parents talk a lot about the value we place in a boarding school’s ability to help our children discover themselves, become resourceful, resilient and independent. It’s a great irony to discover that the process also requires us to become independent of them no matter how much we love them. We’ve raised them at a young age to go their own way, even when their decisions can worry us sick.
“DM2 seemed so out-of-sync this morning, with loved son not at home. She was unusually quiet, having only one child in the house to holler at on a school morning. She forgot to put table scraps in my kibble and take me for my morning post-school drop-off walk. Her face has permanently sad, downturned look to it. I am truly worried about her. What can I do?”
Like a previous poster, I am almost always on the verge of tears or throwing up. And we just have the one kid, so gusdad and I will be empty nesters 4 years before most of our peers. Sadness. I have a plan, though! Step one – cry. Step 2 – medicate (Xanax or bourbon, or both. It’s an individual choice) Step 3 – Redecorate! Hey, I’ve got an empty room now!
Seriously, the money thing, for me, is the biggest worry. My friends have all figure out that if they want to borrow something from me, I will list it on eBay and make them bid on it. Did you know there is a market for cat whiskers and empty paper towel tubes? I have a gofundme, too, which has helped a little. Lots of negative feedback (that I’ve heard about, none to me directly) on that, though. I don’t care. I know why I need to get the boy out of here and they can all suck it. (Did that sound a little bitter? I really am a nice person, I promise.)
@gusmom2000–your post prompts another (tertiary) worry of mine, entitled “What other parents think of me for sending my 15 year old 3,000 miles away for high school” . . . some have told me right to my face, but being in here in CA, most say something rather passive aggressive such as, “OH, I could NEVER live apart from my son like THAT” thereby implying that I must love my child MUCH less than they love theirs. . .
I do believe that this may warrant another thread!
You have to read Where’d You Go, Bernadette. The daughter gets accepted to Choate, and one of the annoying parents at her school says, “I could never send Kyle away to boarding school,” and Bee replies, “Well you must love Kyle much more than my mom loves me.” Then she skips away.
@choatiemom, Thanks for the link…I’ve been thinking about that thread. Everyone has been very polite to me about boarding school, but the look in people’s eyes (as if I have three heads and they are politely not remarking on it) lets me know what they think. I understand; I would have had the same look just two years ago.
So, class of 2019 parents–now that our kids are in school, what are the new, more valid worries? Mine is that my
DS ends up in the ER with extreme gastrointestinal distress due to his apparent onlywaffles-pizza-pasta-and-burgers diet!
I’m a class of 2018 Mom, but experienced the ER thing last year. It wasn’t his eating habits, but a bout of the flu followed by fainting in the dorm which caused a concussion. It was horrible to receive the call from the health center that he was at the ER. Fortunately, we live close to the school so we met at the hospital. It was a bit of a strange transition there as the health center staff left and I took over. We were lucky that we could bring him home to recover. He could have stayed at the health center if we didn’t live close. He missed about a week of school with the whole fiasco.
(Did that sound a little bitter? I really am a nice person, I promise.)
