What is important?

It's Halloween and I was thinking of the fairy princess outfit I wore to school yesterday. I think one of the things I love so much about my job is that it allows me to be sweet and silly. I cannot imagine being who I am at a bank, or Microsoft or Boeing... I am not putting those industries down, it's just that I love pink and sparkles and glittery jewelry and so do kids. They think it is wonderful when I come to school in a floor length pink silk dress with pearls artfully sewn on the bodice. In fact they don't even think of me as being dressed up. "Why are you wearing wings?" they ask me.

On Monday afternoon Alexander began screaming, as if he was going to die. Crying, sobbing, begging me to help him. After an hour and a half of trying to make things better, and a call to the nurse hot line, I drove him to ER at Children's Hospital. That was 6pm. By 8pm we were out of the waiting room and in a private room. Maybe it was 9pm. Hospitals are so odd. They look clean and feel efficient. They are bright and everyone is very much awake. By 10pm Fred was asking me if we knew what was wrong and should he join us. Shortly after that we got our first look at and x-ray. "Is there any reason there is a metal wire in Alexander?" WHAT!!!! Fred arrived in time for the second x-ray, and Alexander himself diagnosed his problem, "I bet it's the wire from my expander that broke." (4 days ago!) (Alexander is 9)

There is only one option when something you should not have swallowed gets stuck on its way out... and by midnight that was our only option.

Alexander was sound asleep when we tried to get his first IV in. It took three tries, he was awake when it was finally established. Just as the ER Docs figured out what they were going to try before they took him into surgery, a grandpa visiting a sick child started getting chest pains. I felt wrong to wish he could have some how waited another 30 minutes until AFTER Alexander's 'procedure', but those were my thoughts. Another two hours and everyone was moving into our little room. A tray of drugs, warnings, my sleepy boy, it's all so bizarre in there. Have you ever looked at your child and wondered if he'll wake?

I left the room for the 10 minute procedure. I read children's books. I couldn't be in there, and I couldn't think about my baby. Do we ever stop thinking of our own children as babies?

The nurse came out with a big smile and brought me back to the room, "It took the doctor two minutes to get it out." There was Alexander, in a fog, eyes fluttering, mumbling, and then- "Mom?" Sweet relief. As the drugs wore off the began to talk. First "Mom" and then, "Did they get it?" I still smile at that question.

Sips of Gatorade and a full recovery lead us back to our car, 3:30am. Exhausted, happy.

As parents each of us has our struggles and strivings. Sometimes we triumph, sometimes we fail. I remind the parents at my school that the thing is to strive to do your best, not to achieve the goal, but to strive to achieve the goal. I wonder if any of us feel we have succeeded?

This month, at our Parent Meeting, we will discuss the use of Media and children. We will talk about our struggles and help to figure out options. We will discuss.
When my daughter was enrolled at a Waldorf School I felt betrayed when her Kindergarten teacher told us at our very first Parent Meeting that we would be kicked out of his class if he "found out" we were allowing our children to watch TV. I sat there feeling like a quiet liar.

On Tuesday, November 3rd at 7pm Bright Water School will be hosting a lecture called:
MEDIA AND THE DEVELOPING CHILD

Maybe you can join me and the other teachers from both Fremont Community School and Tara's Tots, and then at our next Parent Meeting we will really have something to talk about.
Hope to see you soon,
Tara