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Who's In?

Recently, a twitter connection of mine, Jon Harper, challenged us to spend less time crafting and editing our blog posts and more time on just putting the words of appreciation to print. Take 30 minutes to share a positive story. In the spirit of his challenge, I'd like to share an early morning reflection I am having about my son Sam.

It would take much longer than 30 minutes to describe Sam. Suffice it to say, he is a neat kid. He clearly walks to the beat of his own drummer (which can get him into trouble sometimes), cares deeply about others, is a dedicated friend (sometimes too much so), and tolerates being the Principal's son way better than I had hoped. His perceptions keep me in check in school and outside of school.

My son has been battling a queasy stomach, short lived, over the last three weeks and has been sent home by ill. As any overprotective mom (Mama Bear?) might do, I started to analyze the illness and noticed the symptoms only seemed present during the school week.

I had an evening meeting last night but got out earlier than expected and raced home. I was able to talk with Sam before he went to bed. I pushed and pushed...."Is there anything bothering you at school?" "How are you feeling about such and such class?" "Did someone pick on you?" "Did something happen again at recess?". I went on and on.

Sam put up with my questions as long as he could and then just said, "Mom, it's just a headache. I think I might be dehydrated and not drinking enough."

What? THAT's all it is?

And he spent the next five minutes reassuring me that things were ok. Sure, there were some hard parts of his day but he was seeing improvement and felt like he was handling it well or at least learning from some mistakes he made. We talked about that part for awhile. I sat and listened. I was thinking, "How did he learn to be so confident and reflective in his thinking?".

"Ok, well let's try taking a water bottle to school tomorrow and see if you notice a difference, ok?"

"Yeah, that is what I was thinking, Mom."


Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2014 at 6:37 AM

    Thanks for sharing this! I do this all the time. I worry and worry and then it ends up being something small. Sometimes I think I give away all my energy and rational thought at school and by the time I get home I have less patience and energy for my own kids. This needs to change. Thanks for joining in and have a great day. I have my 2nd snow day in a row. yeah!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2014 at 7:09 PM

      Jon, thanks so much for the comment. You are spot on that we need to be careful not to give all of ourselves away before we get home. Point well taken!

      Delete
  2. Tim DawkinsJanuary 22, 2014 at 8:00 AM

    I think that this is not only a symptom of being a mom, but it's also a symptom of working in education. We are conditioned to explore all possibilities when it comes to our students and their success or lack thereof. I know that when I am faced with a student who is struggling I do the exact same thing. "Are you sure there isn't something else going on?" is a regular refrain in my office. I don't always get the answer that I want or expect, and sometimes it is nothing more than the simple fact that a student is having a bad day.

    Meanwhile, it sounds like Sam is quite the insightful guy. That will certainly serve him well in life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2014 at 7:09 PM

      Thanks Tim! I totally agree. And Sam...yes, he is pretty insightful. Keeps me on my toes.

      Delete
  3. UnknownJanuary 22, 2014 at 7:08 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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