One of the most difficult adjustments I've had to make as a parent is learning to participate in events. When I was in school, I rarely went to pep rallies or dressed up for Spirit Week. These school rituals were of very little interest to me. ABM, on the other hand, can be found all through his high school yearbook participating in various activities. I guess the kids inherited his genes because they're all joiners, too.
This week is Spirit Week at the elementary school. C2 has gotten into it more than the other kids. She put together a truly tacky ensemble on Monday for Wacky Tacky Day. Tuesday was School T-shirt Day, but C2 knew we weren't going to buy t-shirts so she didn't make much of a fuss about that. This morning, however, we had a bit of a meltdown.
Today is Twin Day. C1 and C2 stopped dressing like each other a long time ago, but they still have one or two items in their closet that match. C1 insisted that they both wear these knit jersey dresses that they got two years' ago. C2 has gained a bit of weight since they last wore those dresses but she didn't seem to have a problem with the choice. I didn't find out until this morning that she wasn't happy. That's when I found her in tears because she was sure that the dress made her look fat. Since we only have about 10 minutes before the school bus would be at our front door, I could have told her that Twin Day wasn't that important anyway and made her wear the dress or made her wear something else. Instead, I drew on my limited Mommy reserve and found the matching T-shirts they wore for the family portrait, washed the stain out of one of them, dried C2's tears, and privately counseled C1 not to make a fuss because it was very important to C2 that she be able to participate in Twin Day. I was late for work but it was worth it.
Tomorrow night, I get to put my Mommy skills to the test again. DJ chose dance for his elective so now we all have to go to the school dance to watch his group do the hustle. How do I hate this? O, let me count the ways. This event manages to include extended time with the MIL, other people's kids, a crowd, keeping my kids in line in public, fending off their requests for snacks for which I don't have the cash, and anxiety over whether DJ will mess up his routine and start crying. Luckily, I am off on Good Friday so I can recover from all of this.
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