The other day I went to parent teacher conferences at school, where I heard about all the lovely things my children do every day and what a good parent I am. Not quite! What I heard was that Julia is greatly improving in her school work, but has trouble sitting still. Also, that at recess, she's out picking flowers in the far reaches of the playground—so far that she fails to hear the whistle or her name being called. Her teacher told me she's had to chase Julia around, as I'm sure I've done many times. Of course I sat there and felt awful over my wild daughter who won't respond to her name being called, hair and wildflowers flying as she runs and teacher runs behind, stumbling, crying out her name, "Julia!" It's funny and not funny. Proper punishment shall ensue.
Then in Liam's class, I found out he was the perfect example of a good little boy; respectful, obedient, patient. And I'm thinking, right. Is this the same kid who comes home every day at lunch and barks orders to make a sandwich, get him something to drink, cries, tears all the heads off his sister's barbies? I smiled politely through that teacher/parent meeting as well.
With a few days off of school I strapped them in the car and we drove around town to witness these windy, brilliant days of fall. Despite the drought, all woodland life has decided to be generous and blaze out in full red, yellow, orange all against a grayish, gravestone October sky. I'd read about a real haunted house in town so we drove through the older section pausing at crumbling Victorians and shady-looking bungalows. No ghosts appeared, but the kids sat in perfect silence as we scanned windows and doorways for paranormal existence.
Any ghosts in your neighborhood?
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Took my daughter to an ortho today. Perhaps you know the pain . . . money, money, money falling out of you like water. She has a lovely smil...
Actually, yes. The man who built our house by hand in 1940 looks in the front window on occasion and has been seen peering down the basement stairwell. His granddaughter, who stops in person on occasion, says she has seen the spirit of a Native American who was murdered by our creek, but he's not there often.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Thanks for sharing that.
DeleteLittle Julia is not wild in the way of 'naughty wild' From what you've told me about her - she's lovely and talented and loves to do things in her own 'wild and free' way. I think it's great that she finds joy in wild flowers - so many kids don't even notice them or trample on them. Liam sounds so much like my own son was when he was in school - sprouting wings when he was there, sprouting horns when he got home - that's life,Amy. As for things 'that go bump in the night' - our house was built in 1764. Sometimes in one of the bedrooms, there is a definite smell of cigar smoke - we've both smelt it - neither of us smoke btw. Doesn't bother me though.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I would imagine a house built in 1764 is entitled to a few ghosts. Nice that it only sits around and smokes.
DeleteJulia is obviously a 'dreamer'. Make sure she goes to Art College, and she'll be fine. As for Ghosts... they've all been banished!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you find these words ~ "a gray, gravestone October sky" ~
ReplyDeleteJulia sounds like a dreamer, someone who loves flowers, fields, and doesn't care to much for authority. Liam sounds like he knows how to get what he wants in life.
Dear Amy, like Cro Magnon, I suspect that Julia is a "dreamer" and that her creative will astound all of us in the coming years. And Liam is trying so hard to be perfect at school and please his teacher that he just has to act out at home. With time, I bet that he will balance all this out. Time and your patience and also your gentle reminders that he is part of a family at home just as he is part of a classroom at school. Peace.
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