The Boy and The Girl

Ah September, fall is in the air, really it is, it’s a bit nippy in the evenings when we sit on the patio for the after dinner smoke. The sun’s going down sooner and you can just feel it. I love fall. It used to be my favorite season until we bought a house, now it’s second to spring because I love me the hell out of some gardening.

So, this is The Boy’s first full week of school. Friday, his fourth day of kindergarten, his teacher called me. The Boy was taunting 3rd and 5th graders in line waiting for the bus after school. He was calling them idiots. This, I didn’t have too much of a problem with; it was the fact that he sassed not only his teacher, but also the assistant principal and another teacher when they told him to behave. He threw a fit, threw his book bag, copped an attitude. All was not well. He was punished. (30 minutes in his room; no videos all night) Not harsh enough the hubby said.

Since then The Boy has found a drawer in the kitchen where he’s decided to leave his attitude. I hope it stays there and we forget about it and it spills out into the cabinet underneath, sneaks out when we open the door to get cereal and then makes a b-line for the door, through the garage and out into the neighborhood to live elsewhere.

The Girl is quite happy in third grade. It’s a milestone year in elementary school. The first year the smart kids get separated into the AG (academically gifted class)—The Girl is in AG. It’s the first year they take a foreign language, though they don’t have a choice, it’s Spanish. It’s the first year they can run for student council—she wants to run for something. It’s also the first year they can try out for the school talent show. The Girl wants to sing. On stage. She’s inherited my singing voice. This is not good. We have until January to work on this.

The Girl has moved on from her obsession with the news, thank God. While I liked her interest in current affairs (she certainly gets it from her Dad, not me) the news is scary and depressing. She’s only 8; the news is too graphic for 8 year olds. Her latest craze is one I can support. She’s an Animal Planet junky—especially Animal Cops. She wants to work for the ASPCA; she wants to arrest people who hurt animals. This is a good thing. She’s also a bit of a vegetarian, but that’s nothing new really. She doesn’t like eating a lot of meat (beef, chicken, pork) although move out of the way if you put down the really bad stuff like sausage, bacon or ham. She’s been known to eat a hamburger too.

All things considered, my kids are great. We sat together last night and watched The Wizard of Oz. The Boy decided he's over his fear of the wicked witch (he's had it for two years.)