When I was in 6th grade I went through a period to where I either refused to do my homework or either waited until the last minute. These days you can get help on your homework from sites like edupeet, but back then we had no such luck. Whenever I didn’t do my homework my teachers would send home what was called a “No Homework” slip. It would tell my parents that I didn’t do my homework and I would have to get it signed saying that I showed it to them. Well I showed them the first few I got. Let me clarify I did do my homework most times but the few times I didn’t I didn’t always tell my parents about it. Well there sometimes that I wouldn’t show them to either one of them at all. Other times I would show them to my dad when he was tired and he would just sign it and I would be on my way. Then after awhile I started forging their names because I didn’t want to get in trouble for not doing my homework. I can’t even explain why I wasn’t doing my homework I just wasn’t doing it. I understood it. Even years later I have no idea what I was doing. I wish I hadn’t. When I started forging the slips I got caught a few times. The last time I got caught they called my parents to come down to the school. Which meant my dad had to get off work, go get my mom, and then come to the school. While we were waiting the teachers asked me why I was scared to show my parents the papers. What I said I regret even now because it was the worst lie I could ever tell. The teachers asked me if my parents spanked me and I said yes but then I made it worst and said that they beat me. Which they never did. At that age my parents had basically stopped give me spankings and they definitely weren’t beating me. I said that because I thought it would get me out of trouble. Well when my parents got there they spoke with my parents first. I could see them talking to them in the hallway. I know the moment they told them what I said because I could see the shocked expressions on their faces. My parents were hurt beyond hurt. Especially my mom. If I could take that moment away I would. That is something I will never forget. My parents took me home and my mom wouldn’t speak to me. Except when she told me to go to my room and then took a necklace that she had just given me the day before just because she loved me away. She let me know that it would be a long time before I regained her trust. I did get it back but it wasn’t easy.
Why is that story significant? Well, let me tell ya. I never understood how my parents felt in that moment until the other day. Now the situation wasn’t as severe as I described in mine but it still gave me an inkling as to how my parents felt at that moment. Ever since my children Princess S and Private J started going to school, The Husband and I have been big on them writing down their assignments and taking the necessary notes to help them complete their assignments. Now my kids have times when they do this and times when they don’t. I have checked their assignment books and thought I knew all they had to do and then when I look through their notebook I would find a worksheet they didn’t write down or they will tell me about a test and it wouldn’t be written down. There tend to be a lot of worksheets for various subjects, especially with the latest technology where you can convert docx files to pdf format – it has made many lives easier, especially if you have backups on the application you are using! But why wasn’t I informed of the worksheet given? By my own children? Weird, right? Not really! Just recently Princess S’s teacher called me and told me she had a test coming up that she mentioned nothing about. Private J. has really been struggling with this since the school opened. I have no idea why. So on Tuesday, he came home and I checked his assignment book. I noticed that he didn’t write down an assignment for science. The reason why I knew he didn’t write it down was that through conversation with his science teacher I found out that he would be having the same 5 assignments every week. Of course, that many assignments can be difficult for a child to complete. However, with some organizational methods, we’re hoping that he’ll be able to cope with the demand. The other day, one of my friends told me that she’d bought some filing cabinets for her children to manage all of their schoolwork. Perhaps we’ll have to try that, I don’t want my children to not be able to complete their schoolwork. Maybe being able to file their work by the due date will be helpful for them to see which assignment needs to be done first. We might have to try that method. However, he does know about his assignments. Even I know his assignments but I still require him to write it down and complete them. So when I found out about it I told The Husband about it. I always keep him updated about what is going on with the kids and school. We decided that it was best for him to go to his room and remain there. Well, when The Husband got home and went to speak with Private J about what I had told him Private J told him that he did write down the assignment. I was downstairs preparing dinner when The Husband informed me about this. So I went upstairs to see what he was talking about. I looked in Private J’s assignment book and there below the assignment that I had to send earlier was the assignment. Now I know it wasn’t there before because I wear glasses but I swear I’m not that blind and I read their assignments clearly. So I was shocked to see it there and also to realize that to save his skin my son was trying to make me look like I was lying. It hurt me to the core and as soon as it happened it took me back to what I had done to my parents in middle school and I understood even more why they were so hurt. Now instead of being in his room for a day, he has been in his room for a week. Not including Monday. Then he repeated the same offense yesterday. We have since discussed why I was so hurt by what he did. We have moved past it but whenever I think about it still hurts. I know when he did it he was only trying to stay out of trouble like I was when I did it but it still hurts. I just felt like I got a little bit of Karma that day.
Karma works so well. I got into trouble as a kid also but my mom always found out stuff without me telling so I didn’t too much lie on that end but I was smart at the mouth. Now my daughter is the same exact way. The apple doesn’t fall from the tree that’s why these kids should stop thinking we were never kids we have been there and done that so I can tell what their next move will be.
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I try to tell my kids the same thing. That’s why I knew exactly what my son had done. Also with us raising them we know them better than they know themselves sometimes.