The day begins with an unremarkable argument: The Child is slow, we are late. A heated exchange is followed by a silent drive.
Mid-morning, the school calls: They want to schedule a meeting with me, the school counselor, and the head of school. They have some concerns. They ask me to suggest a time; meetings are moved to accommodate me.
The annual fundraiser has concluded, so I can think of only one reason for this urgent meeting, which I’ve been expecting for some time: The Child is being asked to leave. Her grades are not what they should be; she is rebellious, angry, frequently foul-mouthed.
I have an hour to get ready for the meeting, so I take a shower, and stand in the steam wondering what one wears to such a meeting, or if it even matters.
I call my friend the college professor: Success in school does not equate to success in life, he reminds me.
It helps, but only a little: My life is filled with social media posts proclaiming the successes of other people’s children.
Try to see the big picture, he says.
I let my coworkers know I’ll be out for an hour, put the foster dog into his crate, and drive to school for the second time that morning.
Oh wow! I hope that:
1. your daughter is still in good health.
2. things are not as bad for your daughter at school as you fear. And if it is, it is not the end of the world as we know it. There are other schools. She may not enjoy a new school so much, but that’s karma.
3. you remember that teenagers can’t help being a hemorrhoid .
4. you’ll probably get your daughter-as-a-friend back when she is in her late twenties, if she survives so long.
You might be relived to know that everything you describe in your post sounds like it is just a normal phase. So welcome to parenthood. Oh! The joys of motherhood.
http://www.empoweringparents.com/article/is-it-an-adolescent-phase-or-out-of-control-behavior/
It’s a very long story, Cindy. More posts coming …