I went to my middle sons back to school night last night and I found out that my son is a good kid, he is funny, he is a delight to have in the class, he is polite, he needs a little help in math and he turns in all of his assignments. These are things that I believe about each of my children and especially about him. He is quiet and unassuming child yet he is the one that has inside of him this desire for everything to be fair. I too believe in the principle of fair. As I have grown more seasoned I realize that fairness isn't fair. By the time I finished going to all 6 of his classes and listening to each of his 5 different teachers (he has 2 classes with the same teacher), my head was spinning with all of the things that I have to check daily to make sure that he succeeds in middle school. There are so many checks and balances in the educational system for our children and if they don't succeed I am coming to believe that a large part of the reason why has to rest on the parent. The teachers can only do so much. They can help your children, they can test your children, they can give book reports and grade papers and suggest after school programs for your children - at the end of the day not only do the children have to step up to the plate and become more responsible, the parents must also.

My favorite middle son is a blessing. He is getting ready to be a teenager; will be 13 in October. I remember when he was born he was quiet, he was cautious, he loved me more than ever and I knew it. He was not the child who smiled at a stranger and said hi - he stared. Even as a baby he was observant and he was protective. He cried whenever he was removed from my presence, he held on to me for dear life, he was my baby with the mohawk as his hair only grew down the middle of his head and I look at him now and I smile. He is taller than me at almost 13 and he is observant still. He watches everything I do and if I happen to wear something that he believes is too risque he tells me so. He is protective of me and I am protective of him. Now he is beginning to "smell himself" as the older people used to say. What this means in my peoples history is that he thinks that he is a grown man. Ha! His body is growing and yet his brain is not maturing at the same rate. His memory for things that matter to me is shallow; however for things that matter to him, well remarkably he is sharp. Things that matter to me - taking out the garbage, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom, reading, reading and reading - his favorite phrase is 'huh?" Things that matter to him - money, candy, soccer practice, Madden, the mall, shopping, cookies and cream ice cream - his favorite phrase is "can I ?" Can I go and can I have and can I play.

Having been this way before with my older son, I realize that this time will come and go in a blink of an eye. This temporary disease will heal itself and my favorite middle child who now grunts when you say good morning will soon begin to appreciate the fabulous mother that he has! HA!! HA!! HA!!

As school begins for children; for parents the days just get longer and more is packed into a 24 hour period than the body can sometimes handle. Retiring at 55, can't come soon enough.

Yolande Barial
An Inspirationally Sensual & Spiritual Writer.

http://just-a-mom.us/

 Your Words Project: Speaking on Purpose
Seeks to Enrich the Lives of All through Spoken
and Written Word.
510-589-6445

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http://www.examiner.com/family-and-parenting-in-stockton/

http://www.redroom.com/member/yolandebarial

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