April 4th, 2007 by Atomictumor
One of the irritations of my life is that I can’t really in good conscience yell profusely at MastaG for the irritating things that he does, because I see him and go “well… damn. Thats exactly what I did…”
Its like the boy isn’t so much my kid, as the clone of my personality. I mean, luckily, he has GAC’s good looks outweighing my appearance, but habits and personality seem to come, well, from yours truly.
Take in point the situation regarding THE FIELD TRIP.
Because he’s a safety patrol guy (he jokes that he wants to get a pair of mirrored sunglasses and a nightstick and walk the halls looking for trouble, and I joke that I smell bacon) he’s entitled to a field trip, sponsored by AAA, to Washington DC for a few days. He’s, naturally, all about it. And he should be, hell, it sounds like an awesome time.
The problem is, I relied on his ability to relay information.
I don’t like going through peoples things. I’d always hand BJ her purse when she asked me for something out of it. I always had a big problem with Mom going through my backpack in school, so I take the approach that I don’t need to do it unless I NEED to do it, and he’s too young and innocent for contraband, so I’ve let it go. He’s a smart kid, so when I told him, back in February, “Tell me all info about this trip when it comes up, because I need to know to get the money and whatnot ready”, I believed him when it said “…mumble mumble OK”.
Yesterday, knowing that the money was due imminently, and after several weeks of him telling me that he hasn’t heard anything or received anything about it, I bit the bullet and poured out the backpack.
And found a note advertising a parent meeting on the 7th. Of March. I also found all sorts of things that probably should have made it through to any involved parents hands, that never did.
Sigh.
So today I moved to damage control, because I found out (after two phone calls and an email) that the money is due to them, in Knoxville, today.
I have learned a lesson.
April 4th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
All good parents are a little bit snoop-y. Trust me, you’ll get better at it as he ages.
April 4th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
I don’t see going thru Alyssa’s backpack as snooping. We go thru it together and look over stuff that’s specifically supposed to be for me. Yeah, she should probably be responsible enough to get me my papers every day, but she’s only 9, so I help.
April 4th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Boys backpacks don’t have anything personal in them. Crumbs, papers, wrappers, rocks, chewed gum and sticks are not secret. It’s okay to do a daily backpack check. At least until high school they are just too scatter-brained to trust their organization.
April 4th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
{psh} none of my kids’ stuff is sacred from my rummaging now (young as they are) or later (i’ll just try to hide it better). i get the notes and still never get the money in on time - at least you can blame the kid.
April 4th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
My 14 y/o daughter and I go through her bookbag TOGETHER to find things I am supposed to have, sign, acknowledge, etc. My 11 y/o son just gives me the stuff, on time, and then reminds me when something needs to be returned to school. I guess it’s not a boy/girl thin. Maybe it’s the oldest child??
April 4th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
If you want to know my opinion, I think you’re a sorry-ass dad for not snooping through your boys bag. I think that’s a God-given right of all parents, and you might as well enjoy while you’re young. That’ll be a chapter in my memoirs. I’ll let you know when it’s published.
But seriously, that sounds like an awesome field trip! How come you don’t ever tell your family about cool stuff like that? I think that ties back into the sorry-ass dad thing.
April 4th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
{ooo, i like jenwright!}
April 4th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Going through the backpack IS your God-given right as THE DAD. It’s also really necessary if you’re ever going to get the information you wish he’d just tell you.
Some kids will nag you the minute something comes home (Delta); others won’t give it to you until it’s almost too late (Gamma).
April 4th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I had a friend in school in 3rd grade who’s mom pinned notes to his shirt till the third grade. If they are your kid you don’t need a search warrant. I think when they become teenagers it changes a little bit though. Then they have this notion of “what yours is mine and whats mine is mine”. Silly teenagers . . . Sounds like a cool trip. Thank God for AAA -
tg
April 5th, 2007 at 4:22 am
Wait until he tells you that you are a chaperone on a trip such as this, and you are supposed to supply the dessert for the sack lunch that will be eaten on the bus. The problem with this? He will tell you at bedtime, the night before departure. Been there, done that. Good luck.
April 5th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I think if you watch the South Park episode “Dog, The Hall Monitor” everything will become more clear.
April 5th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Bust the boy’s ass. All notes should be presented to the parental unit within 48 hours of acquisition by the offspring unit. Otherwise, large-scale field trips, and other such things, will be missed-out upon.
Be demanding. Be invasive. Kids need attention.
April 5th, 2007 at 11:11 am
PS: I was a safety patrol in elementary school. There has never been a more picky, rule-bound, anal-retentive safety patrol than I. No one on the bus was above my scrutiny, including high school students and the other patrollers. My bus driver commented to the newspaper that I would march as I left the bus.
I hope MastaG is a bit more mellow.
April 5th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I always wanted to be Safety Patrol. Oh how I coveted the reflective orange belt that also went across diagonally. I longed for the shiny silver badge!!
Alas, it never came to pass.
sigh…..
PS> Parents HAVE to snoop. Otherwise we will never know what’s going on.
April 7th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
It’s not that moms and dads have eyes, in the back of their heads, it’s because we are so good at snooping. Until they move out of the house you better get go at the snooping thing or you’ll be the last to know anything!