Last week T.Puzzle’s teacher approached me for a conference. The thing about conferences is that they usually doesn’t consist of the teacher listing all the ways your kid is truly outstanding. As I entered the school building for the impending conference, I had a feeling she wouldn’t share anything with me that I didn’t on some level, already know. Basically, he speeds through everything, oversimplifies and isn’t interested in expounding on anything, ever. Pretty typical stuff for a kindergartener, but as his classmates are slowing down and answering questions in more detail, he is fine to zip through his schoolwork at a breakneck pace (Full Speed, Jr., anyone?). There’s not much to be done except encourage him to slow down as he does tasks at home and try to prompt more than one-word answers from him (Mad Dog, Jr., anyone?).
The hardest part of this conference day is that all I really wanted to do was call my Mom to talk about it. She was always the perfect combination of empathic listener with a good dose of pragmatism. She had a way of putting things in perspective while taking into consideration my extremely sensitive nature.
I miss that.
I miss her.
Of course she is on the forefront of my mind as Mother’s Day approaches. All I can do is remember a conversation I had with her shortly before she passed. She told me l knew her well enough that if I ever needed her advice when she was gone, I could imagine what she would tell me and I’d be exactly right.
So? What would she tell me? That T.Puzzle is brilliant, charming and handsome. She’d tell me that he’s an extremely active boy who would rather play soccer than sit still, write sentences or answer questions. She would tell me that I’m a great Mom and it’s only kindergarten. She’d tell me to focus on the good stuff the teacher said like how T.Puzzle is respectful to his classmates and his teachers. She’d tell me that when he’s CEO of a Fortune 500 company or president of the United States, that how he behaved in kindergarten won’t matter. It matters only to his future first grade teacher and first grade is months away. A lot can change over a summer and be patient. It will all work out just fine.
Thanks, Mom. I needed that.
Writes for all Mommies 
You as well are missed my Virgo sister!
I had a kindergarten teacher tell me my child was immature. I told her that five-year-olds are immature by definition. It would have been fine if I had stopped there, but no… I just had to add that it was okay for kindergarteners to be immature. It was NOT okay for kindergarten teachers, however. Then I handed her back the note she’d sent me, with her spelling and grammar mistakes circled in red and corrected. (BTW: that child has graduated from a top law school and is teaching at one of the country’s premier universities. I wonder what that kindergarten teacher is doing…)
Beautiful. She definitely taught you well and she is sooo right! Happy Mother’s Day.
I also feel that Mother is influencing me in my decision making. Sometimes things happen to me that seem to be a direct result of her still watching over me.
Dad
Thanks, Dad! Love you!