A Change Gonna Come

Yesterday I got a phone call that I never expected to get.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Ms. Tee, this is Ms. Jackson from XYZ Elementary School. How are you?”

“Just fine. Is my son okay?”

“Yes he is. He’s fine. It’s just.. He has been really misbehaving lately to the point where I would call it Out of Control. He won’t sit down in his seat. He won’t walk in a straight line. He talks all the time with his friends. And his posture is horrible. When I ask him to do something he looks at me and says, “Ok.” but he doesn’t do it.”

“Wow. He’s not like that at home.”

“Well, I’d like to meet with you at school for a conference. He’s too brilliant for this!”

“Sure, I’ll be there in the morning, first thing.”

“Good. See you tomorrow.”

After receiving a phone call like this, I expected to feel anger or disappointment in my son. But really, I felt disappointed in myself. I went over in my mind all of the things that I say to him and do for him to help him to do the right thing and here he was, actin up at school. He never acts up too much. He’s just very active.

I even went so far as to tell him, “I want you to treat people how I treat you. Would I call you names or hit you when you make me mad?” I try to be an example. I talk to him and talk to him.

That phone call made me want to cry. Not only because it is embarrassing for your child to act up with strangers, it’s just…damn…I don’t even know how to handle this.

What can I do, punish him? Take away his books? His favorite thing to do is read. He tries to hide books under the covers at night so he can sneak and read them after I send him to bed. He also likes to color. Throw away his crayons?

~shrugs~

I have never understood my mother more than I understand her now. This parenting thing doesn’t come with instructions. What works for your child may not work for mine. I am going to talk to him once again about his behavior and explain to him that it is not pleasing to me or to God. I wonder if he’ll care…

I don’t know what goes on inside that tiny head of is. When he’s with me hes the sweetest thing. He really is. I don’t know what happens to him at school.

My mind says he may be bored at school since his kindergarten class is still learning letters and putting sounds together and this boy can read books. So, I called the school and asked to have him tested for gifted and they said they’d send the paperwork home with him.

I hope it doesn’t happen again. I have too much drama going on in my head with all of these editors I’m stalking and stories I’m writing.

You won’t believe this but, uh, the first story I submitted for the Bahiyah website was REJECTED! LOL! I wrote it like I write my blog and the editor said it was too aggressive.

I had to laugh. Yeah, my writing is not made for TV. So I wrote a little safe piece on how sororities are beneficial and they accepted it for publication. YAY!

I have so many more stories to tell, but they’ll have to wait because my body feels like it is giving out on me. I need a vacation from work. It’s affecting my work. But everytime I ask to take some time, my Director tells me it’s not a good time. So I’ve been working there for a full year and have watched EVERYBODY take vacation (summer break and Christmas) in my department while I have to stay there and be the back-up.

~sigh~

I talked to my director about it and she STILL said it’s not time because she’s going out of town, blah blah blah…

Having two weeks of vacation means absolutely nothing if I can’t use them…

Grrrr……..

I’m annoyed.