It’s a Right Hullabaloo of Gratitude

Number one, it’s Friday! That right there is something to be grateful for. Also, I lost three pounds this week after losing nothing last week; my fear of a plateau was misplaced, apparently and thank God.

In addition, Hugh didn’t lock The Girl in an ivory tower yesterday after getting yet another phone call from the school-yes, another phone call from the school-I think we are 0-7 for weeks without a chat with the principal and I am not happy.

But, as I said, Hugh handled it far better than I, in fact, his punishment (writing an apology letter) fit the crime (being insolent and disrespectful to a teacher) and he went a step further, promising The Girl that, if it happens again, she will write another letter and SHE WILL READ IT IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE CLASSROOM, apologizing to the class for disrupting their learning environment as well as to the teacher for being disrespectful.

And, he delivered this punishment in a matter-of-fact way that totally bowled me over. There I was ready to rip her belligerent ass right out of school and sentence her to hard time with the nuns and he comes up with something so brilliantly diabolical; I got hot just listening to him. Plus, my punishment plan totally paled in comparison to his, I mean, the threat of public embarrassment trumps knuckle-rapping nuns any day of the week as far as Middle School girls go.

Oh, we also grounded her from the phone, the computer and sleepovers with her friends for two weeks (that’s FOURTEEN DAYS, Young Lady! according to Hugh’s very explicit terms) and we got to proof-read the letter to the teacher before she delivers it.

To say the child took it all very well would be a vast understatement and, this morning, she was cheerful as could be when I dropped her off at school. Clearly, our parenting skills are so far advanced, we should get a medal.

Or, it is the calm before the storm and we will one day find ourselves on the business end of a bullhorn, begging her to abandon her life of hermitage and rejoin society again.

And still I am grateful for having the opportunity to parent the child.

Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?