In a big funk

After work yesterday I pulled into the driveway (driving my husband's Jeep since my van STILL isn't working) and my neighbor came running over to me. First of all, she was wondering if we were doing ok (she implied she thought my husband and I had split up or something since my van hadn't been out front all week!) so I explained the situation. THEN, she told me to be prepared when Mr. Man got home with the boys because Spirit and one of her boys got into trouble at school together. "They were saying inappropriate words." Just about then Mr. Man rounded the corner with boys in tow and he looked a.n.g.r.y.

As I followed them into the house he had Spirit explain to me what happened. Apparently Spirit and his little friends were playing in the dirt making the dirt into shapes of butts, penises and vaginas. Ms. E, director of the after school program, was not thrilled with these boys doing this. I know lots and lots of people teach their children the proper names for bodily parts, I never have really addressed it and I let the kids name them. It isn't necessarily that I don't want them to know the proper names, but I personally do not want my small child referencing them that way. I don't know. It just sounds vulgar coming out of a 3 year old's mouth. THAT IS MY OPINION. And I realize my opinion is somewhat silly.

Sooooo, anyway, when I found out that was the "inappropriate words" they were saying I was slightly relieved. Spirit has been in trouble before when he and some classmates wrote curse words in Spirit's spiral notebook, so I expected the worst.

So we had to think of a punishment for Spirit and Mr. Man and I could not agree. My thing was Spirit did not say a "bad word", he named a body part. I told Mr. Man I would prefer Spirit not use that word, but it isn't a "bad word". He was so upset that he thought 10 days of grounding from outdoors and video games and strict confinement to his room was an appropriate sentence. I thought that was too much. We finally sent Spirit to bed and told him we would let him know his punishment in the morning.

After sleeping on it and discussing it more this morning, we decided 5 days of grounding from outside and no video games would be sufficient. Spirit is accepting the punishment like a man. He isn't thrilled, but he is dealing with it anyway.

So, I am driving into work and somewhat wishing I wasn't a parent. Parenting is hard work. All I could think was, if I do the wrong thing now he is screwed up for life. There is no comfort in that. None.

Ok, so already feeling bad about myself (not to mention my sweet daughter telling me this morning that the rolls of fat over the top of my pants looks like a donut...nice) I get into work and get totally chewed out for something that is beyond my control. When your boss keeps 2 calendars, a desk one and an electronic one, and he randomly updates them and never updates the one I decide to rely on (for instance, once I thought he must not update the electronic one as often, so I started fully relying on the desk one, now apparently, he is updating his electronic one and not the desk one...) it is extremely difficult to schedule things and inevitably things are going to get crossed and/or double booked. How is that my fault. He sets 90% of his own appointments, if he wants my help with the other 10% he needs to be consistent with the calendaring process. I guess, I just don't understand why people need to be so condescending. I am not an idiot, so don't talk to me like I am.