LOST was soooo good last night! First? We saw Sawyer, which is AWESOME. Second? They did an interesting twist and backtracked a wee bit from last week. Third? More numbers! And added together they equal 108! You know what THAT means don’t you?
(Yeah. Me neither. But - EEK!)
Yesterday was another parenting milestone for us. We dealt with our first DETENTION! Dun…Dun…Dun…Although, LilZ’s “detention” is actually called “Gumbo” (I have no freakin’ clue, don’t ask) and it is more like sentences and less like Saturday in the library with Emilio Estevez and Mollie Ringwald. It is the copying (by hand) of an three page disciplinary essay (a really dumb one, I’ll admit) written by some adult.
Evidently LilZ blew in his pen lid and his teacher (who he swears was NOT in a bad mood) just point blank gave him the third level of disciplinary punishment then and there. Now, LilZ has barely ever gotten in trouble and I don’t think he’s every brought home any punishment of any sort, so I believe he was a bit nervous to tell me. He told MrZ first (LilZ: I got Gumbo today. MrZ: What the hell is “Gumbo”?) who gave him the excellent advice NOT to complain about it - just to tell me point blank and accept it.
OH MY GOD. He could NOT do that. He spent the next 6 hours complaining (I didn’t even get a warning!), and whining (It’s the stupidest 3-page essay EVER! It’s SO STUPID!) and giving excuses (Other people do way worse and don’t even get in trouble!). Honestly? I couldn’t have cared less about him getting in trouble. I have the best record of punishments for the most stupid of actions. I also have a record of teachers who just didn’t like me, so I know that sometimes you get in trouble for no good reason. But I was on the verge of beating him senseless for the MOANING and the WHINING and the COMPLAINING and the GRRRRRR-ing.
It was like he was being TORTURED. ALL. NIGHT. LONG. And no matter how many times I said “You are making it worse, just do it and stop talking about it!” he COULD. NOT. STOP.
And then he cried. Which sucks no matter what the reason.
I think he was just stressed because he had never gotten in trouble before and he didn’t like it and he was terrified it meant his teacher didn’t like him. Either way, it was NOT a pretty picture and I want him to have an immaculate behavior record from here on out JUST so that I don’t have to deal with THAT any more.
Of course, he rubbed my back in bed last night and said, “I have the best mom EVER” and I spent the next four hours crying and questiong my parenting skills. It was a rough night. Stupid Gumbo.
so this one time, in fifth grade, my friend got in school suspension. for falling out of her chair.
because apparently I threw her pencil on the floor, she reached for it, and fell.
<–will never give stupid detentions…at least I hope not.
Man, I hate stupid detentions. Or “gumbos.” You know, whichever.
Did I tell you about the time my oldest almost got Saturday school….???? For TARDIES!!! Yeah, ‘cuz I suck
our sons are quite alike (surpirse). Brendan rarely gets in trouble and I think his teacher hates him this year.
I can SO relate! I blogged about this a while ago in “Finn Gets A Warning”– the uptight librarian heard the word “hell” and swooped on my boy without ascertaining the context of the word!
But then again, there was the time Finn slugged the judge’s daughter…. he DESERVED that punishment!
BTW, when my husband was growing up in Auburn, they called the copying of the essay “Maturity Pages!”
Hope y’all have recovered… Please let us know what GUMBO means. It’s bound to be funny.
And don’t question your parenting. Every kid should be as lucky as LilZ!
Take care– Anne
I had one detention in my entire school career; For not getting my progress report signed for reading lab in the sixth grade. What was the grade so horrible to not get it signed by mom and turned back in?
A+
Yeah… I didn’t understand it then, either.
Isn’t parenting so fun….Those are the nights where I swear I am going to start counseling teenagers on what having a baby is really like….It just seems to get emotionally harder the older they get doesn’t it? Anyway, I think LilZ is such a good boy and I am proud of him for writing his essay and rubbing his mommy’s back! I think its not about the mistake that was made, its about what you learned from the mistake.
I hate the arbitrary way that punishments are doled out in school. I tell my 12-yr-old, who has that “But Mooom” adolescent vision of ideal fairness, that teachers, principals, and bosses are only human, too, and that they don’t always act fairly, but that part of “making it” in school and in life is learning to accept that sort of BS in a way that doesn’t compromise your own success. It sucks, but it’s life.
I got detention once for wearing a green coat. No lie! It was january and I’d gotten it for Christmas and wore it between classes in the halls because it was FREE-he-ZING and I’d take it off before the bell rang. But one class the teacher nabbed me for it before teh bell even rang. Nuts.
Course, I went to a catholic high school with a uniform and let’s just say, green wasn’t in the uniform description.
Stupid Gumbo! I would have cried like LilZ - I never got in trouble but one time and I totally freaked.
I also had to spend like 2 hours going over stupid Biology flash cards with POD. Whyh 2 hours? Cause it takes liek 30 minutes to do the flash cards but 1 1/2 hours for her to complain, whine and dramatically sigh about them!
Oh, AND I NEED ANOTHER TIVO! I had to choose between Veronica Mars and Lost - Veronica won and now I’m lost with Lost!
another thing we have in common, teachers didn’t like me (except for the boobs) either.
Poor lilz!!!
Stupid, Stupid GUMBO. Good lord what a stupid name or top of a stupid reason her giving him that!
I sent you a lengthy email about Lost.
Poor LilZ! I would probably be stressed out too - the first time you get detention is a big deal.
That is a stupid reason for a detention, because he blew his pen cap?
I hope LilZ didnt get in trouble at home.
Ohhh… I remember the good ol’ days of detention. I swear that some teachers are just mean. I was a good kid, but I was also one of the main bench warmers in the principals office. He’ll be fine- and probably more careful w/his pens from now on
Anyway- you sound like a fantabulous parent- don’t let the dreaded GUMBO trick you into thinking otherwise….
~Ashlie~
p.s. Anyone else excited about Amalah’s mucus plug? Huh? Huh?
The only good thing to come out of this was the back rub. I doubt LilZ learned much, since it was pretty erratic punishment for something so trivial. But I guess you just have to tell him life ain’t fair.
Perhaps a good lesson in 1) life not being fair and 2) knowing when to pick your battles. A three-page essay is not that terrible in the grand sceme of things.
But I feel for LilZ and I think you’re right about him fearing the repercussions of getting in trouble. I would feel very badly, especially at a new school and feeling that the punnishment was unwarranted.
Hang in there, LilZ. This too, shall pass!
TAG! You’re IT. Come see me to see What’s up.
I’ll bet this is the worst trouble he ever gets in.
I still owe my high school a detention, because my sweater was black and not navy blue. It was dark when I got dressed!
You know what really freaked me out? When Michael was having his flashback to when he was saying good-bye to wee Walt & whips out the polar bear from the gift bag. GAH! And Desmund! WTH!! Loved Kate last night though, she rocks. So sorry to hear about Gumbo LilZ, watch those pen caps!
But … but … they didn’t show Jin until the VERY END! I thought he was DEAD and I was SO UPSET! But I was glad that it wasn’t all about Jack the Super Doc for a change.
I got dentention once. I had an overdue library book.
K does the same thing with the whining and the moaning and the dragging it out when he has an assignment he thinks is STOOOOPID or BOOOORING (which is at least twice a week). Makes me insane. Just shut up and do it already! Argh!
I must say that blowing in a pen cap is the dumbest reason for a detention ever. It like whistled or something? Lame!