When Crazy Pays

September 06, 2012

When Crazy Pays

I have four children. In the last two weeks I received three letters in the mail from 3 of their teachers welcoming them back to school and including a list of supplies that the teacher wanted them to bring for the first day of school.

The list included the obvious such as pencils, more luxurious things such as clipboards and sharpies and highlighters and more 'School responsibility' items such as Elmer's glue, crayons, etc. There were also some wishlist items like baby wipes and Kleenex.

My 4th grade son's teacher didn't send a list. I figured she'd hand it out on the first day and I didn't worry too much about it.

Until this morning - the first day - when we walked to the bus stop beside my neighbor - who is also in 4th grade, and who, was LADEN with about 50 pounds of supplies.

"We didn't get a list." I said. (The boys have different teachers.)

"Did you check the teacher's web page?" the other mother asked me.

*GULP* I hadn't.

I turned to my son, "We'll get everything when you get home." (It was a half day.) He nodded.

I put them on the bus and went back to my office.

But something wasn't right.

I couldn't help but think that he would be nervous about NOT having his supplies. What if they were labeling them? What if he NEEDED them?

I went to the website. There was the list.

I scolded myself. "You DO NOT need to run out and get everything on the list." I said. "Its the first day. It's a HALF day for goodness SAKE! DO NOT BE CRAZY. Do not be ANAL. You can get it later. He'll probably WANT to pick everything out anyway!"

I printed the list. I asked my husband to run to the store and buy everything and drop it off.

He did.

Later, when my son got home I asked him, "Did you get everything all right?"

He nodded. "Yep!" he said. "Y'know," he added, "I was feeling a little nervous here," he pointed to his chest. "And NORMALLY when I get called down to the office I get REALLY nervous. But I was feeling a little nervous and then the office called me down and I felt great because as soon as they called me I knew what it was. I knew you'd get everything for me."

And those few little words have set my OCD therapy back YEARS.

Posted by Kit at 09:00 AM in Children, CRAZY | Permalink

Comments

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Awww I totally would have done the same :) And it pretty much justifies the OCD, right?!

Posted by: Lisa @ Floating Along... | September 06, 2012 at 09:12 AM

How great is it that he knew in his heart that you had his back!!!! Not too many kids think that nowadays. OCD? Please that was just great parenting with a hint of "oh shit I don't want my kid to be upset" thrown in.

Posted by: traci | September 06, 2012 at 09:20 AM

Awww. That's an awesome story. I would have done the exact same thing. ;-)

Posted by: Katherine Stone | September 06, 2012 at 10:13 AM

He probably felt so releaved to see it all there. What a great mom you are. I would have done the same thing!

Posted by: redhotwritinghood | September 06, 2012 at 10:36 AM

Hah, he knew.

Posted by: joeinvegas | September 06, 2012 at 12:34 PM

All of my kids teachers didn't send lists home until the first day....except my 2nd graders teacher. He never brought one home and he said that the teacher didn't need anything. Since I know my child, I didn't believe him and emailed the teacher to double check. I never got a reply from her so figured all was good, until I talked to my friend who's son is also in 2nd grade and she said they were posted in the classroom. Seriously?!?! Send it home! I felt so bad that he didn't take any supplies, but I found out what he needed and took it to him.

Posted by: Lori | September 06, 2012 at 12:35 PM