I was handed an opened A4 envelope today by The Teenager, with the words:
‘s’ok you know, s’not me, s’my teachers, honest, I mean, reallllllly, you know, innit, obvs.’
Yes. School Report Time.
First, the good news -he has a 96% attendance record with 0% unauthorised.
As for the rest:
- ‘…he has the potential to be an amazing student…but he procrastinates……’
- ‘….he is a popular member of the class but can become distracted’
- ‘…he is a bright pupil but easily distracted….’
- ‘…..you can do it!’
And so on. So we had The Talk. Of course, his teachers lie. Dreadfully. Tut. Never in my day.
I was, and I freely admit it, a girly swot. I was over the moon when I found out he would have the same German teacher as me. At parents evening a couple of years ago, we had a huge hug (I hadn’t seen her since I left for Austria at the age of 18), then she sweetly told me The Teenager would never be reading Brecht in the original. But no matter, he had other talents.
And he does. Many. What’s difficult is juggling this hormone-tastic time with general life. Take for example a couple of days ago:
Me: Hey, that was a nice dinner, no?
Him: Yeah. But I hate MS.
Me: Oh. Um. Yeah. Was it the carrots?
Him: Hate carrots. Hate MS.
Me: And how does that make you feel? (what else should I have said??)
Him: Sad.
The next day we had breakfast together in a cafe. I tentatively raised the subject again – MS, not the carrots. We chatted. We mulled over how both our lives had changed. We shared a baby-ccino.
MS is horrible. The Teenager has needed to formulate what has happened to me into words he can understand and pass on and make acceptable for his peer-group, i.e. ‘oh, yeah, my mum has MS, just like Jack Osbourne. I know!!!! Wicked (or dench, lush, etc)’
The biggest accolade happened the other day: ‘I told (friend) all about you and the MS, and he likes you and I like you and he’s staying over on Tuesday, so can we have pizza?’
Annual Report. The Teenager – Must Try Harder
Awww. That comment of his made *me* sad. It’s nice (so NOT the right word) that you can relate to what he’s going through. At least on some level. He’s lucky to have you.
Aw, thank you! We’re definitely through the worst. We try to talk as openly as possible and like most kids, sometimes the comments come at odd times!
He’s a brilliant kid (mostly), but hopefully as he sees me still working and studying, he’s reassured.
x
tough stuff this parenting. Then some swine throws MS in the mix… But you are talking about it. Half the battle. If you are half as funny as this as a mum, I’m sure you and he will navigate ‘this’ with the help of some well timed humour. And Pizza. 😉
It sure is! We have a laugh. I think I’m pretty easy-going as a parent.
It’s inset day at school tomorrow so I will have another Teenager in the house :-(.
x
I can sympathize. Every one of my son’s school reports, without exception, read ‘he talks too much’ and that he ‘could do better’.
He is at college now studying what he wanted to study and is working well, so far so good.
In primary school when one teacher inquired why it was he kept talking, (they were sitting on the floor at the time) he replied, ‘I can’t help it Miss my knee keeps hitting by chin and that makes me talk.’
He is creative I’ll give him that! He is studying TV and film production, he may go far!
I love that!!! My son is exactly the same. Talks too much, distracts the other pupils and a bit too cocky at times. Even at nursery school, lol.
He has no idea what he wants to do yet, but has reassured me he will buy me a penthouse flat when he’s rich and famous. And he’ll choose me a nice nursing home. Fnar fnar!
x