Where Does the Time Go?
December 2012
The passage of time brings change and each year I feel a bit wiser and stronger through the lessons I learn - some easy, some hard. As my kids get older, time is scarce. This year, my Christmas letter is a New Years letter since my hectic schedule did not allow free time to write until now.
This year, my parents sold our childhood home of 30 years. We said a tough goodbye in March and they moved into their beautiful, brand new home, which thankfully is only about an 8-minute drive from my house. I do not know what I would do without them around to help out with the kids on occasion.
My daughter is a teenager trapped in the body of a seven-year-old. She is curious in the ways of older girls, intelligent with a fiery temper and too stubborn for her own good. Fortunately, Mom is also smart with equally stubborn tendencies, yet tolerant. At the beginning of the school year, she decided piano was overwhelming with the nightly homework required in her classes and opted to focus on her other activities. She is still involved in gymnastics and went from being a Daisy Scout to a Brownie this year. She excels in school and loves attending class each day. So far, she has perfect attendance, a goal she has tried desperately to make since kindergarten. I am crossing my fingers for her as I know how much she wants to reach this goal. This year marks the first year she receives real grades on her report card and she has already earned a Distinguished Honor Roll certificate. I am very proud of her, especially after seeing the bits of geometry she is learning in 2nd grade. In addition, she was chosen to be part of a special committee that meets with the principal regarding issues that need addressing around the school.
My son turned five in November. He has a heart of gold, but can be ornery when bored. He is so ready to join his sister at the elementary. Though, I do not know who is more eager for that to happen – him or me. Calls home from the teacher and a parent conference have proven he is testing his boundaries as the oldest in the class and has outgrown the preschoolers. Yes, my prankster is also too smart for his own good. Being the oldest has its perks as he did get a lead role in the school's Christmas play in which he was an awesome narrator. It took a lot of patience on Mom’s part, however, to help him memorize all of the lines prior to the night of the performance. We got close. Andrew still enjoys the Soccer Shots program through school on Friday afternoons. As well, he takes gymnastics and has progressed two levels in the last semester. In August, he asked to take a trial martial arts class because, as he explained to me, he is going to quit school to be a ninja or a Power Ranger when he grows up and school is not necessary for his career path. The three trial classes were a success and he has been going strong ever since, passing two belt tests, which included breaking boards with his foot and hands. He is now a green stripe belt. Despite his reluctance to education, he is finally learning to read and write. Though, I think the desire to read the words and respond with his stylus on his 3DS games may be the motivating factor.
As for me, I continue to be a workaholic as a mother and as a teacher. With the extra-curricular activities in which my kids are involved, we are constantly on the go. My daughter’s homework is an ongoing chore. My son often brings home a book to read for homework, as well. In May, I was asked to be the 9th grade Team Leader for the new school year. This has been both exciting and a challenge with the state test and mentoring three new team members, a fourth starting in January. Sadly, I did have to give up my senior classes for the opportunity, which was tough, especially after attending the Advanced Placement (AP) Institute this summer to earn my AP certification. I am also a member of the CPOC committee at work and was asked by a former student to sponsor the Aspiring Guitarists Club this year. On a personal level, my best friend remarried and the kids and I traveled for the wedding in April. Their family visited in July and we took all the kids to Schlitterbahn Galveston for the first time. And, believe it or not, I actually did do a few things for myself. I attended my 20th high school reunion in June and took a trip to New Orleans, one of my favorite cities, with another friend. We stayed in a haunted hotel for two nights and had a lovely time. I also bought a new vehicle right before Thanksgiving.
I am sure the answers to life’s challenges, raising kids and the key to true love exists somewhere within the pages of Shakespeare’s First Folio. I will let you know when I discover those buried truths. My son plays in a galaxy far, far away with his plethora of toy swords and is a master on a 3DS and Wii. My daughter owns at least a dozen spiral notepads of various shapes and sizes which contain seemingly random art doodles, but she swears each drawing has a significant meaning. We are quite the trio, each dancing to our own drum, challenging one another on a daily basis. I often do not know how everything is accomplished in our worlds, but we seem to manage, albeit not always in the time frame I desire. As someone who used to be precisely on time everywhere I went with everything completed early or by the due date, I have had to adapt and embrace the idea that there are far more important things in life than deadlines. Always being there for my kids, on the good and on the difficult days, is priority. This often makes me late as time seems to disappear, but my children are life and love and I would not change it for the world.