In Your Face

Parent-Teacher Conference week induces a certain level of anxiety in Parents. A third party is going to evaluate your genes, as manifested in the raw intelligence of your offspring, and indirectly critique your parenting skills when they discuss your kids social skills and behavior.

But to heighten the stress they let the kids out early all week. Exposing you to extra doses of your well behaved and docile children. (Of course as Dad I just get relief duty at the end of the day but I still notice) Just enough extra time together to be really scared about what is going to be said in the "citizenship" discussion.

In spite of our fears the conferences went reasonably well. I especially love the comments such as "your daughter is so nice to everyone. There isn't anyone she can't get along with. I bet she is such a good kid at home." Which leaves you wondering why the secular class room brings out such wonderful behaviour, yet our Home, our little Heaven on Earth, brings out a darker side of the kids.

If this was all that came out of the conferences all would be well in the Thomas home. But no. Paige's (9yrs) conference pitted Husband and Wife against each other.

Both of us have recently helped Paige with a writing assignment. During the conference Paige's teacher used these two essays, our essays, to illustrate good writing and not-so-good writing.

One of the essays received an A+ while the other only earned a B.

So now I have to endure such tauntings as: "So fancy pants executive, Mr. Blog writer, need me to edit your work?"

All my expert advice and counsel to Paige and only a B. My work is so misunderstood.

But then maybe this was a ploy to get out of helping with homework. Maybe a B in writing is really an A+ in manipulation.

Hmmm.