A Day in the Life Kinda Thing

I just read my horoscope for today, and it said that in everything I do today, my enthusiasm will bubble up and influence everyone around me. HAH! First of all, let me say that I don't live my life by my horoscope, but I do look at it for entertainment purposes. I like to see if, after the fact, it's had any correlation to reality, mostly. Anyway, I've been sitting on the couch. All day. I watched Noah push around his overflowing toy shopping cart full of other toys, looking for all the world like a bag lady. I commenced daytime potty training-which means we abandon diapers during the day, and park the potty in the middle of the living room. I hate a kids' potty. It's the most revolting thing ever. That may be the hormonally nauseated me speaking. I watched the older two tie eachother, and various other neighbor kids, up to the tree with jumpropes. Other than screaming at the dog for barking nonstop, I'd say I was pretty much a bystander in life today, rather than bubbling over with enthusiasm.

I did take my son to the doctor this morning, and he was strangely excited about his check-up. He obviously doesn't remember all the shots he got last time. He didn't need any this time, either, so he was just as happy when he left. He's right there with my other two, in only the 10th percentile for height. Ah, well, there is nothing to be done about genetics. I also talked with the ped about my older son going to kindergarten "early" this year. He misses the cut-off by only eight days, so I requested that he be tested for "early" admission. It turns out that he scored really high on the cognitive part of the tests, although admittedly 5 points away from the county's guideline score. He scored in the 97th percentile for the academic portion. The school psychologist, gifted & talented coordinator, principal, and area director all recommended him for early admission. Now we await the final answer from the Board [of Education]. What's the problem, you ask? G. G is the problem. He thinks we should hold him back, because he is shorter than average. Even though my husband is a know-it-all devil's advocate, this even stunned me. My immediate thought was, what if he was taller than average? Would you insist he be placed in the second grade?! It just makes no sense. For someone who has so often said otherwise, it's amazing to me that G is focusing solely on the child's genetics, about which we can do nothing. The psychologist's report clearly says that he will need advanced math and reading in his curriculum in order to be stimulated. Hello?! What does that tell you? Now, G's concern is not unfounded. He remembers being teased for being short. Know what? I remember being teased because I wore a dress. Because my last name was Badger. Because I liked to read. Because I wore a brace on my back. Because I rode the bus. My point, obviously is that children of all ages will tease other children for ANY reason, difference, or ability that they observe. Besides, what are we teaching our son if we tell him that we didn't give him ability-appropriate training because of the way he looks?! Additionally, I'm sick to death of people generalizing and saying that boys are behind girls...that is not always the case, nor is it always that cut and dried. They may be somewhat emotionally behind girls, but generally, their academic abilities are equal if not greater. Why do we continue to sell our sons short? I spoke to the pediatrician today, knowing that he is a developmentally concerned, but also a somewhat neutral party. He feels the same way that I do. He said that he totally understands why G feels the way he does, but we have to instill confidence in our son that we can do nothing about genetics, but we can make the most of our abilities...and we deal with our inabilities. He says that especially considering he missed the cutoff by a mere eight days, and clearly qualifies, he needs the stimulation and we should enroll him. We'll see what G has to say about it.

Archives-Dr. Mom 6/8/2007

June 8, 2007

I'm feeling the strains of motherhood/wifehood lately. I feel like I'm being pulled in about 19 different directions, and I'm, well, overextended. And tired, irritated, bored, and lonely. One more week left of school, and I'll have my daughter all day long, too. On her own, she is great. On his own, the middle boy is great. Put them together, and strife is bound to ensue. Add the little man, who's lately fond of hitting, pushing, biting, and spitting, and everyone's having a great time.
Speaking of the little man, he's sick. It started with a cold, which he had for about a week, then spiked a fever. In my professional mom experience, that means something is now infected with bacteria...ears, lungs, throat. Only, none of those things is "showing anything yet", as the doctor put it. That means, no medicine. That means, miserable baby. I'm supposed to give him ibuprofen and Tylenol, around the clock (has to be both, or the fever stays up) until Saturday, when being seen by the doctor is warranted again. Now, if he really has no infection come tomorrow morning, I will insert my foot into my mouth and commence chewing, but I'll also be completely surprised. My dearest G will have to take him to the dr, since I'll be at work...and pay another $15 copay...only to be told what I'm sure is true (something is infected). And then the doctor will finally give us the Pink Stuff. Until then, we have to deal with hours of screaming, like last night (*SIGH*). This is when I wish I lived in Mexico, so I could just go to the pharmacy and buy the Pink Stuff my own self.
We went to see a favorite New Orleans band, the Iguanas, the other night. They were really good, as always, but we were sad to see that the one sax player/singer Derek Huston is gone from the band. What makes it worse, he's the one who has recognized us each time we have seen them. He is replaced by a young kid with lots of hair who plays a mean trumpet...but he's no Derek. In a couple of weeks, we will go see Cowboy Mouth. I'm hoping all those guys are still the same, because they put on a great show. I guess all the NOLA bands must all be on tour now...it IS getting hot down there, after all. Not as hot as here, today, though...97 degrees, what the heck is that? And me with my air conditioner in my car barely functioning. I'm not kidding, I can't tell whether the air it's putting out is any bit cool, or just slightly less hot than the stifling inferno of the rest of the car. A minivan is looking better and better. Guess I'd better go take my walk now, before I melt in the afternoon sun.