Tim decided to take a "sick day"/"mental health day"/"spend time with your wife day." He does this sometimes because, upon retirement, he will only get paid for a certain number of unused sick days, so he works the system just right. We'll leave that topic for another time.
Since Tim was home in the morning, I was completely thrown off my game. I usually pride myself on my multi-tasking skills.... run through multiplication tables with Sam, bleach Alec's football pants before the game, check the PTA schedule for the day, be sure both kids have lunch money, check to see if they've done their morning chores before school (or there's hell to pay after school), make breakfast for Sam (I'm lucky to get a granola bar in Alec's hand before he leaves to catch the bus), etc. etc. etc. (I am truly amazed by all you women that can accomplish this with more than TWO kids!) Because Tim was home, I took the opportunity to sleep in a little. I let Tim take Sam to school.
Within 10 minutes of being dropped off, Sam was calling me. He got to school and wondered why everyone was dressed "like they were going to church." Then his best friend, Sam Books, said to him "You're wearing THAT for picture day?!" Sam panicked and called home to tell me that he needed picture money and a nicer shirt. (He was wearing a Notre Dame t-shirt.)
I immediately sprang into action. Tim said he's never seen me react so fast. Dads/Men just don't understand what us Super-Moms have to go through to protect and rescue our children, all while going about our normal lives in our secret-identity alter-egos!!! I grabbed a shirt from Sam's closet, ironed the collar and sleeves perfectly with the little creases, grabbed the order form and money from the counter and sent Tim up to school. He left the shirt and money with the secretary. Crisis AVERTED - for about 30 minutes.
His teacher, Mrs. Popp, called and said, "Sam didn't really want me to call you. He's very embarrassed, but..... he dropped his picture shirt in the toilet when he was changing clothes." At first I couldn't help but laugh. But then I thought about how horrified Sam probably was. Mrs. Popp said, "He wasn't going to tell me about it, but Sam B. came and told me what happened as Sam was shoving the shirt in his backpack. I walked over to Sam and he wouldn't look at me. He had tears in his eyes. I asked him if he wanted me to call his mom to bring a different shirt. He said No." After she told me all this, my heart was absolutely breaking!!! I have got to figure out a way to let my kids go through their own painful traumas without my own feelings and memories coming into the mix. But see... as I'm juggling Super-Mom and her vulnerable alter-ego, I'm not sure that's going to be possible.
We told Mrs. Popp we'd be right up with another shirt. I didn't have another picture-ish shirt for Sam in the "clean" pile of the laundryroom. So I grabbed one of Alec's shirts, ironed the collar and sleeves, and Tim and I drove up to school. Mrs. Popp met us in the office. She handed me a plastic bag with the "toilet shirt" in it. (This is how we refer to the shirt from now on.) I fought off the urge to explain why my child was not even prepared for picture day in the first place. Did I really need to go into how my husband took a sick day to spend time with me? How my alter ego was thrown for a loop with the extra sleep that morning, so I was late changing into my Super-Mom outfit?
Since Tim was home in the morning, I was completely thrown off my game. I usually pride myself on my multi-tasking skills.... run through multiplication tables with Sam, bleach Alec's football pants before the game, check the PTA schedule for the day, be sure both kids have lunch money, check to see if they've done their morning chores before school (or there's hell to pay after school), make breakfast for Sam (I'm lucky to get a granola bar in Alec's hand before he leaves to catch the bus), etc. etc. etc. (I am truly amazed by all you women that can accomplish this with more than TWO kids!) Because Tim was home, I took the opportunity to sleep in a little. I let Tim take Sam to school.
Within 10 minutes of being dropped off, Sam was calling me. He got to school and wondered why everyone was dressed "like they were going to church." Then his best friend, Sam Books, said to him "You're wearing THAT for picture day?!" Sam panicked and called home to tell me that he needed picture money and a nicer shirt. (He was wearing a Notre Dame t-shirt.)
I immediately sprang into action. Tim said he's never seen me react so fast. Dads/Men just don't understand what us Super-Moms have to go through to protect and rescue our children, all while going about our normal lives in our secret-identity alter-egos!!! I grabbed a shirt from Sam's closet, ironed the collar and sleeves perfectly with the little creases, grabbed the order form and money from the counter and sent Tim up to school. He left the shirt and money with the secretary. Crisis AVERTED - for about 30 minutes.
His teacher, Mrs. Popp, called and said, "Sam didn't really want me to call you. He's very embarrassed, but..... he dropped his picture shirt in the toilet when he was changing clothes." At first I couldn't help but laugh. But then I thought about how horrified Sam probably was. Mrs. Popp said, "He wasn't going to tell me about it, but Sam B. came and told me what happened as Sam was shoving the shirt in his backpack. I walked over to Sam and he wouldn't look at me. He had tears in his eyes. I asked him if he wanted me to call his mom to bring a different shirt. He said No." After she told me all this, my heart was absolutely breaking!!! I have got to figure out a way to let my kids go through their own painful traumas without my own feelings and memories coming into the mix. But see... as I'm juggling Super-Mom and her vulnerable alter-ego, I'm not sure that's going to be possible.
We told Mrs. Popp we'd be right up with another shirt. I didn't have another picture-ish shirt for Sam in the "clean" pile of the laundryroom. So I grabbed one of Alec's shirts, ironed the collar and sleeves, and Tim and I drove up to school. Mrs. Popp met us in the office. She handed me a plastic bag with the "toilet shirt" in it. (This is how we refer to the shirt from now on.) I fought off the urge to explain why my child was not even prepared for picture day in the first place. Did I really need to go into how my husband took a sick day to spend time with me? How my alter ego was thrown for a loop with the extra sleep that morning, so I was late changing into my Super-Mom outfit?
Sam came to the office. As he was playing the "no problem" card, I did what any Super-Mom would do... I grabbed him in arms and told him everything was going to be okay. I started rambling about the time I was in 2nd grade and I put stickers all over my shirt on picture day and thought that was the greatest idea I had ever had in my whole life until the picture person told me it wasn't a good idea and made me take them all off in front of my whole class and I was humiliated, but just to show him, I kept one sticker on that he missed and today I have a picture with my one sticker on the belly of my shirt. Sam interrupted me halfway through my ramble and said, "Mom, I'm missing PE."
So I handed him the shirt. We waited there as he put it on in the office bathroom. It was a little big since it's Alec's shirt. But at this point, Super-Mom was just trying to get through picture day in the most painless way possible.
When Sam got home after school, he seemed fine.... and I looked like I needed to see a therapist. He said after the shirt fell in the toilet, he still tried to make it work. He actually put it on, but it was way too wet. Also he was afraid people would think he smelled like a toilet all day. Poor kid!!!
So when you get Sam's school picture this year in your Christmas card, please keep in mind that TIM TOOK OFF WORK THAT DAY!
