Lest I forget...

I wrote this one day while sitting in a class a while back and was reminded of it today.  I shared it with a teacher who told me I should send it to the paper.  I chuckled and figure they wouldn't be interested in it but thought if nothing else I would at least blog it. 

It should be understood that I have a rare perspective of education that not many people are privy to.  I go into teacher's classrooms and interpret and I see the interactions between teachers and students, the discipline/lack of discipline, the interesting/boring, the genius/idiocracy within a classroom from students/teachers.  I have also seen that since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has been put into action not only have our educational expectations dropped to a staggering gut-wrenching low, but so have our disciplinary expectations, not just in school but across the board. 

So I am likewise reminded of a poem that an old friend, Doris Metts, shared with me many years ago that I printed and gave to my mama.  I am proud to say that I was blessed with one of "The Meanest Mothers In The World" and I can only hope that I am just as mean.  But with times changing there are things that I will add to the list of things to do for mean mothers.  I wrote a similar blog a while back titled: Rules of Engagment. But I figured it was time to add a few more things to the list lest I forget.  That way if you see me doing these things with my children later, I beg you to throw my own words in my face and remind me. 

Lest I forget....

• I will not assume my child is an angel.
• I will not allow my child to dress like a small prostitute. (linked is a MUST READ article!!!)
• I will teach my child that if you intend the keep your teeth you will not smack them at me.
• I will drop into my child's school to observe my child and the teachers. 
• I would prefer to send my child to a private school since I feel that NCLB has lowered standards within the public forum to a ridiculous point that I feel to be insufficient for my child (donations to assist in this endeavor are accepted).
• I will teach my child manners - that they had better use.
• My child will understand that a phone call home from school for a negative reason will result in a whipping when they get home.
• I will teach my child the difference between racism and honesty.
• I will teach my child what sarcasm is, how to understand it, and how to use it - even when it goes right over everyone else head. 
• I will teach my child that becoming pregnant before you are married isn't cool but is a disgrace and embarrassment to the family.  It doesn't mean we don't love you but you should be prepared for the consequences, ridicule, and backlash that will ensue from those who you have disappointed.
• I will teach my child that my house = my rules.  You are otherwise welcome to show yourself to the door or I will happily find you an alternative boarding school (i.e. boot camp or military school).
• I will teach my child that just because your friends have a cell phone doesn't mean that you should.  You can have a cellphone that will dial someone other than your parents when you are able to pay the bill yourself.  (God Bless the person that invented the Firefly).

I am sure that the list will continue to grow and as always I encourage everyone to add their own do's/don'ts to the list or to tell me how I'm lying to myself.  Either way it will make for good reading and/or an interesting debate.

Training A Man And Getting Things Done

We were hoping to be able to hit Tifton this weekend but it just didn't come to fruition.  I hate that we couldn't make it but at the same time I am glad that we don't have to weather the storm.  The weather promises to be a mess and I'm glad not to have to drive in it. 

We also have to find some time this weekend to make R.'s new Leader Dog video.  They called Thursday and let him know that they were ready for his video for them to observe him for the purpose of accepting him into the dog program.  They have apparently had a influx of applicants so the soonest they will probably get him in would be August or September.  Not as soon as we had hoped but we really can't complain with that.  We had just hoped that he would be able to go during the summer so that I could get up there to see him while he's there for a month.  *Sigh*  The joy of sending a man off to be trained I guess.  lol.  It's going to be a long month whenever he does go and I'm so not looking forward to it but we will make it through.  However, I will apologize in advance to those that have to deal w/ me on a daily basis for the duration of his absence. 

I'm also hoping to catch up on some sleep that was lost during my trip to DC with BHL/CM Orchestras last weekend, begrudgingly get some shopping done, and maybe even go check into a bridesmaids dress to get that ball rolling.  I'm sure there's some things I'm missing but we'll see how much of it I get done.  I think we can all see which came first on the list.  lol. 

So anyone who happens to be around....feel free to call after 12pm or come visit.  I can't promise to be out of my pj's but you're more than welcome to chill.  As is our custom, you're more than welcome.

If I Can't Laugh About It - Who Can?

It's no secret that I laugh and joke about the fact that my husband is legally blind.  He and I both do really.  We've come to the conclusion that we can either laugh about it and move on, or we can be the sad saps that everyone expects us to be.  So we move on.  But it intrigues me how people chastise me for making a joke of it, or making light of the situation, when they ask me about it.  I'm not really sure what they expect.  Some say that it's incredibly inconsiderate and un-PC, which just shows how little they really know me.  Others just pat me on the shoulder and tell me how very sorry they are and how strong or mature I am, as most couples wouldn't survive such a tragedy; which is a double insult since 1.) you apparently thought so little of me and the relationship I have with my husband, and 2.) I don't need your pity. 

So let's cover the facts: 

• My husband is, and has been, legally blind since Oct. 22, 2009.
• My father still tries to hand him the keys to drive and still asks him what's coming when he's the passenger.
• We all still have to remember that he can't see it when we give non-verbal responses - You can imagine how many times I screw this up.  lol. 
• We find it funny when people get antsy and ask "What are you, blind?" and R. always responds, "well, yea...actually."  The look on their faces hasn't gotten old yet and the hesitation in their voice is just as amusing to R. 
• We would like to think that the warning signs for "Blind Drive" means that it just might be possible for him to give it a try or at least an option for the opportunity. 
• "OMG - did you see that?....oh wait no...I guess you didn't." still happens often with us and we still laugh and move on. 
• He threatens, pokes, whacks, and aggravates me w/ that white cane and I always threaten back saying, "I'm not like the people who apologize when you accidentally hit them, I will snatch it away and whack you back," to which he still chuckles about.
• The only people that think that R. is disabled is probably you and, as soon as the paperwork is through, the government. We prefer to say differently-abled.  He still does pretty much everything he's always done.....just a little differently and with more time now than he used to. 
• We are still a normal couple that likes to pick and aggravate each other, we just get to tease each other in ways that other couples can't.  We don't do it in a mean spirited way and we always laugh about it. 
• It's ok to use the word "see" when you're around.  We don't get offended by it and people usually look silly trying to avoid it. 
• We laugh a lot about various things, we make fun and laugh a lot about every day situations that we encounter that are more difficult due to his low-vision. 
• We laugh and find joy in our everyday life.
• We choose to see past the hard times, the pain, and the uncomfortable situations with a smile and/or a laugh.
• I promise you that you won't hear me say anything about it that I haven't already said to him and I can pretty much guarantee you that the jokes we make together are way worse.
• We laugh - we don't expect your pity, your sympathy, or your issues with how we choose to deal. 
• We laugh - and those who are close enough friends to be a part of our family join us in our laughter and toss in their own jokes and jabs in the process. 

I have one friend that told R. that she was upset that he wouldn't be able to see her well enough on her wedding day to see just how beautiful she is so she was going to have to get a braille dress. We continue to laugh.

Laughter may not always be the best medicine, but it's definitely one that gets you through the hard times and lets you come out on the other with a better perspective.

So what would you do in our situation?  Would you choose to laugh, or let the world fall in around you?  Would you still be with your significant other or would you have ran for the door?  Would you move on with life or would you wear a chip on your shoulder for all the world to see?

What would you do?