I have learned that life is like a sitcom. Well, the old classics with real family values anyway. Like The Cosby Show, Full House, or Family Matters. Those shows were about families with children. Episodes would focus on one or two kids at a time. Some kids almost had nothing to do with certain episodes. I have learned that my life works the same way. My posts focus on one or two kids at a time. Often one kid is left out completely. Lately it feels like Parker is the leftover kid.
Parker is a really fun kid. He can be the most responsible of all my kids in one moment and the last person I would ever trust the next moment.
He is tenacious. Nothing stops this kid from figuring out what he wants. He is a problem solver. This is a wonderful trait but he can also take no as a personal challenge! No can often equal sneakiness and deceit. But bless his heart, that boy has figured a lot of things out for himself as a result of the word no.
He can be so loving and so giving but he instigates most fights with his brother and sister. We believe it’s mostly to get a rise out of them, or us, or maybe both.
He is so smart and so good at so many things yet so so so jealous of anyone who he feels takes his place in the spotlight. If you look up the term sore loser (and often sore winner) you will find a picture of Parker.
Plus, he’s got my back.
Parker: Everyone has muscles.
Gwen: Not Mom!
Parker went on to explain how everyone has muscles. Thanks buddy! Gwen, what is up with you? I work out! Not consistently but hey, I work out!
He is student of the week in his class this week. He has been looking forward to this for months. Every week, sometimes every day in a week, he will tell me he gets to be the special student soon. I ask him all the time what the special students do on their week. He would talk about a box they would decorate and put things in to share with the class. I told him over and over to bring me the information about it so we could be prepared.
For the last three weeks he has been telling me the next week was his turn. I would remind him to bring me any paperwork explaining what was expected of me to put together for him. Each week would start and he would tell me it was someone else’s turn. I was so confused! Especially since I never saw anything come home from his teacher explaining when it was his turn and what we should do for him.
On Monday he brought home a paper talking about his turn being student of the week in the class. It’s his turn this week! Wait, wait. It gets better! The paper said that the information should have been sent home the week before so we could have everything ready for him to present on his first day as student of the week. Yeah, I read this on Monday.
Parker responded to my high pitched incredulity by saying something like it was supposed to be his turn last week but Kaitlyn was moving so it was her turn. That sounded plausible but I was still so confused and a little irritated that I was left out of the school loop again. This year has been a rough one with getting important information after the fact. Some of it can be blamed on Parker for being the live-in-the-moment kind of forgetful guy he is.
Though I still think if he’s going to be pulled out of class for special services the teachers should do more than send a note home with him and expect me to get it! Just saying. I mean, I do have an email address and a home address. Second graders are not the best middle men when it comes to important information.
I did what I have done many times this year. Emailed the teacher with my questions. She told me that Parker was supposed to be student of the week last week but he offered his turn to Kaitlyn who was moving. Parker didn’t tell me it was his idea to let her be student of the week. Color me impressed. I’m not surprised though. Parker is a sweetheart like that and she was his friend. His teacher also apologized for not remembering to send the information home early enough. She said he needed to be prepared to present on Wednesday and hoped that wasn’t causing too much stress.
Initially it wasn’t. But yesterday was one of those days where my to do list was longer than I had hours in the day for. I put together a video for Parker but I feel like it was not my best effort. I should have known it was a waste of time. Parker said his teacher didn’t have enough time for it. She never offered to find time for it either. Just told him to take it home. I should have known and on some level I did but I’m still really bummed.
Can I just say I really miss the boys’ first grade teacher? I love her. She was such an excellent communicator. I always knew what was going on and what she expected. And when I made a video for Gavin she kept it for a few days until they had time to watch it. She did the same with Parker too. It doesn’t hurt that she thinks I’m some sort of videographer genius!
Parker did say that his little presentation today went “awesome!” That’s good. All I ever want for my kids is that they are happy and know they are loved. Parker is such a great kid. I’m glad he’s having such a good week being special!
Here is the video I made. It’s not bad but it could be better. Of course had I known it would be immediately sent home I wouldn’t have tried to make a new one. I would have just burned what I put together for him last year! As it is I tacked on old videos I had already put together a long time ago. The first segment is all I expected the class to watch and it was the newly smashed up video.
You sure pegged Parker with this post. We all have two sides to our coins and we do adore him.
He’s so much fun! I just find it interesting that the two sides to his coin is so obvious. I like to believe I hide mine better. But maybe that’s just me wishful thinking!
Hi Tristan,
Gotta love those zingers from our children, “Not Mom!” Whenever my daughters come up with a good one, it cracks me up for days. Mom frowns, but I think it’s great. What else could I expect, since they’ve been hearing them from me all of their lives.
We had all sorts of contraptions for the girls when they were little, but we didn’t have that spinning one from your video that hung from the door. Whew! That looks like fun! I want one for me.
Watch an 11-minute video of somebody else’s child/children? Someone, hurry and take away her mouse, stat! LOL True confessions: I made it to minute 4.
I like to think of myself as a planner, but in practice I’ve always been a “live-in-the-moment kind of forgetful” type like Parker. I make the deadlines, but there’s usually no time left to spare. It’s not the best practice, but it is kind of a rush.
Hi Ray,
Those zingers are great for a laugh. I have no idea where Gwen gets the idea that I have no muscles. It’s not like I move heavy furniture often. Or lift her bed so she can get the toys that have fallen between the bed and the wall! The neighbor girls gave her their roller blades they outgrew. Gwen wraps her arms around me in a bear hug and squeezes with a death grip. I’m basically carrying her weight as I wheel her up and down the sidewalk in front of our house! Yeah, I got muscles. Not that I’m bitter or anything!
The baby contraption you’re referring to is the best thing ever invented! A friend offered to let me borrow hers after she babysat Gavin and he loved it. We got one for Parker and as you can see in the video he got a real kick out of it. That’s how I was able to shower daily when Parker and Gwen were babies. Just hang them in the doorway.
Watching Parker spin like that cracks me up. It also reminds me of twisting on the swings growing up. Fun stuff. Can you imagine if they made an adult version? That would be fun!
Ok, the video . . . I put those things on for the kids grandmas. I’m impressed you watched as much as you did. You’re funny!
I used to be a planner but anymore lately I forget everything. Emails get buried. Notes to myself get lost. Blogging is a nice way to get stuff out of my head so I don’t have to remember but now I can’t remember anything. Plus, I’m kind of self-centered. I get it from my kids!