Those New Challenges

October 20, 2017

Madison and Bradley went off to school today, while Dad stayed home to recover from his migraine and his own fun with the stomach bug.  It has been a completely rough few days.  We were afraid that Bradley was going to catch it, but I was able to successfully navigate him away from the ruckus...I sent him to school and I slept while he was gone, trying to fight off the gunk just in case it was coming for me.  Turns out it wasn’t.  And it turns out that I sent him straight into the Lion’s Den instead.  When I went to pick him up it was to learn that two students had been vomitting at the end of the day.  I stood there for a second and let that sink in.  I sent him to school, because he wasn’t sick and because I was hoping that I could keep him away from the stomach bug.  Imagine that feeling, as I stood there and tried to keep from picking up my son, cranky and trying to climb me like he’s a koala and I am a tree; and wondering, is he going to be sick next?

I was further concerned when he fell asleep on the three minute ride home, then slept until 4:00.  My concern at that point was twofold: was he proving to me that he was sick, and would I be sleeping that night?  I am happy to say that he has not gotten sick to this point, Hallelujah!!  And no I didn’t sleep because he woke up and just wouldn’t go back to sleep.  Eric took a turn with him, and then I did, and then Eric went back and somehow, when the alarm went off this morning we got up and faced the day anyway.  I’m not going to lie though, once Bradley was at school, I was back home and finding my way to bed for a much needed nap.  Bradley came home and played a bit, watched his IPad a bit, and even spent some time trying to copy the lines from “Mater’s Tall Tales.”  That might just be the best part of my day!

But then there was the front row seat of mine as I sat and watched my oldest stumble through trying to tell her Dad that she had a boy ask her out today and after consideration; and some texting with yours truly, she decided to say yes.  In the corner, we have Sydney.  I don’t know whose side she was on, but her commentary was killing me.

Eric asked Madison to tell him about this boy, and Madison goes: “Like a picture?”

Eric says: “You have a picture?”

Madison goes: “Yeah, let me get my phone.”

Sydney throws her hand up in the air and says: “Hold up, I got this!”  And starts searching on her phone to send him and me a picture of Madison and this boy at the football game tonight.  She has already been chatting with Madison’s best friend, and then starts relaying input from her own best friend as well.  I’m looking at her; thinking to myself, she’s known for like fifteen minutes and she already has that much intel?  If she put half that effort into her mornings she could sleep until 7am.  And two, that’s an incredible amount of intel to gather in such a short time, I’m kind of impressed and frightened all at once.

So after Eric uses his inhaler from laughing so hard at Sydney, we both take a look at the picture.  I’m still chuckling a bit, while Eric sat stoically absorbing all this news.  Sydney looks at her dad and grinning, she pops up with “Conceal don’t feel, Dad!”

I wouldn’t say the conversation got totally easier, but it sure helped to ease Madison’s tension about it all.  We talked about rules and whatnot.  Expectations.  Etc.  All that good stuff that comes with being a parent of a teen on the brink of a first date.  Yikes!  We knew this day would come, but I’m not sure a parent is ever actually ready for it.  But for now, my kiddo is all a flutter; and in its own way, that is the sweetest thing.

And from what she tells us, the boy knows about her brother and is not only calm about it, but thinks he’s cute.  So that’s a nice start to any friendship I’d say.

A whole new kind Challenge for our house... Yikes!  HAHA.  Happy Friday all!