You all know how fierce I can be. You know I love my family so much sometimes it gets me into trouble. Not serious trouble, just the kind where relatives and neighbors and nare do wells no longer speak to me. TDB
Well I stepped in it again this morning. True confession time. GereaKaye had a project due yesterday at school. When she brought the instructions home, I read the requirements and put it down that it was due the 19th, not the 10th. Damn old people, we need better reading glasses or longer attention spans. Anyway, la la la, Thursday Gerea tells me, hey Oma we needed to finish working on her project. It is always a we, people. She expects the Omalator to sit and critique and fuss and help...I do too. I don't do the work for her but am always glad to lend a hand, logistically.
So yesterday, after she went to school, Shelley and I were looking at the sheet of instructions (first time since it came home on the 30th of April). OMG, I am the biggest old ick in the world. Cuz I told GK that we had this week to work on it and that's what we planned. Oops.
Needless to say the project was worked on last night. I helped her deliver it this morning. Cuz it's Tuesday and I get the car. (I bet ya'll get tired of hearing that huh?) So on the way to school, she tells me that her teacher had said if the projects were late that they would get a zero. I said that's okay. If you get a zero, but still hand in the project, it is the honorable thing to do and we will still be proud of you and you can hold your head up and be proud of yourself. I said I hope your teacher does give you a zero. I'd like to see her at least stand by her words, just once this year, because this teacher just doesn't seem to care. GK seemed to feel some better.
Get to the school and the group of girls that love to torture the other 4th grader girls call her a loser. In front of me, people. And then they ran away laughing. GK is a lot of wonderful things but able to deal with that isn't one of them. I have made a mental note that she has to be served nails to eat twice a week during the summer to get her to toughen up. As If.
Great big ole tears welled up and she was gonna lose it when we happened on the counselor. I told Ms. M that she was willing to take the zero but showed her what a great job GK had done. She too told GK to hold her head up cuz her project was "Hollywood". A super job.
Bell rings, mean girls line up so GK has to walk past them with me and the project. One of the little snots started to say something. I made and kept eye contact with the leader of the bitchlets in training and they all went inside quickly. I went inside and handed the teacher the lazy susan with 4 (not the required 3 scenes of her favorite book, which is Heidi), told her it was my fault that the project was late, knew GK was going to get a zero and let her know what we had told GK, that she needed to show that she had at least done her best. The teacher said that she had been absent for two days and couldn't expect the kids to remember without her nagging them on Friday and so it really wasn't late.
See what I mean. Huh? Say what you mean and mean what you say. Of course now GK will get a really good grade but I would have rather her get a really good lesson and me do penance. Anyway, Gerea looks at me with her mouth open and a big ole question mark on her forehead. I whispered in her ear as I kissed her good bye..."it's just the way life is sweetie."
So who's the mean girl here? The kids, for being southern ends of northern facing horses, me, for the "eat shit and die look" I gave to the meanie, meanie bo beanies or the teacher for proving she is...............wishy and then washy?
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You are a great grandma. I just have to share this one with ya. When my son was in high school, he was sent home to make a science project for the science fair. Well, I never had science in school so it was fun for me, and yes, I ended up taking over. Big mistake!!! I decided I was going to make a telegraph...bought all the stuff including one of those extra large batteries. Well, by golly, the darned thing worked. I was a scientist. Wow!!! Son takes it to school. Then comes the night of the science fair and my son was all excited. He told me that they had taken the winners out already...and seeing my telegraph gone, I was sure I was a winner.
ReplyDeleteWell, you can imagine how I felt when my son came home the next day and told me that the reason they moved it was because it had "Blown up". Last project I ever did for my son.
Mary
Mary, that is just too rich and wonderful. I'm giggling as I am typing this response. Blown up huh, well ya tried, right? I told GK this morning that we have many more of these "projects" to endure but from now on she is in charge when it comes to keeping track of the dates. Cheers,
ReplyDelete~i can only hope to be an "oma" like you when its my time...you are such an inspiration with your devotion to your grands...blessings always upon you~
ReplyDeleteYou did what an oma needed to do, so all is good. My grands are getting older and my second to the oldest (she'll be 22 in November) is engaged and will be married at the end of July. I will love being a great but hope she waits awhile.
ReplyDeleteAh, bitchlets. I remember that when I was in kindergarten I *hated* going to school in the morning because the 6th graders would make fun of me and throw things at me as I walked past them in hall. I would wail and weep and throw tantrums to be driven so I could sneak in the backdoor and avoid them until one day, my mom had to help me bring in a project and saw them do it.
ReplyDeleteDeath look does not even BEGIN to describe the look she gave those girls before marching directly to the principles office and giving him a piece of her mind. Since this happened every day in front of the main office... well, you can imagine how much more furious that made her. They all left me alone after that, I wonder why. ;)
So, I suppose, in short, I think you did what any oma or momma would do for their child. I managed to grow a thicker skin as I got older and I'm sure GK will too.
Damn, I hate when kids pick on others. I know my grandchildren have been picked on, but I'm not there to give them the same treatment as you did. I always told my kids that bullies were nothing more than a pack o' dogs, together they can do some real damage, but stand alone, they become nothing more than little sniveling cowards, running away with their tails tucked between their legs.
ReplyDeleteAs for teachers like that, don't get me started!!! Some people have no right to teach and it shows!!@
Love ya,
G